Kelsey Serwa golden at freestyle worlds
Not even a bruised and battered body was enough to keep Kelsey Serwa off the medal podium at the FIS World Freestyle Championships.
The 21-year-old from Kelowna fought through the aches and pains and raced to victory in women’s skier cross competition on Saturday afternoon in Deer Valley, Utah.
Just a week earlier Serwa crash-landed her way to the gold at the X Games in Colorado, injuring her back, her tailbone, her thumb and cutting her nose.
But Serwa, who wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to compete at all in Utah, continued her stellar 2010-11 season on skier cross circuit with her first ever win at the world championships.
“I couldn’t get out of bed two days ago and I didn’t expect to win here,” said a jubilant Serwa.
“I couldn’t be happier with this.”
Canadian head coach Eric Archer was impressed with Serwa’s courage and determination to fight her way through three rounds of racing to win the title.
“As an ex-racer, I can tell you that the adrenaline kicks in when you get in the start gate. That’s a big pain reliever,” said Archer.
“I can’t believe she pulled it off.”
Canadian teammate Julia Murray was second behind Serwa to claim the silver medal.
It was a golden day all around for Canada as Sundbury’s Chris Del Bosco won the men’s race.
This weekend, Serwa and the Canadian team are will be Collingwood, Ont. for an FIS World Cup race.
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