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Kelsey Serwa

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Kelsey Serwa
Kelsey Serwa in Calgary, 2014
Country Canada
Born (1989-09-01) September 1, 1989 (age 35)
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Ski clubBC Ski Cross
World Cup career
Seasons10 – (2009–2014, 2016–2019)
Starts83
Podiums20
Wins8
Overall titles0 – (7th in 2011)
Discipline titles0 – Ski cross (3rd in 2009, 2011)
Medal record
Women's freestyle skiing
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang Ski cross
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi Ski cross
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Deer Valley Ski cross
Winter X Games
Gold medal – first place 2011 Aspen Ski cross
Gold medal – first place 2016 Aspen Ski cross
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Aspen Ski cross

Kelsey Serwa (born September 1, 1989) is a Canadian retired freestyle skier who was a member of the Canadian national ski cross team. She won a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. She is the 2011 FIS World Champion and two times Winter X Games champion. In addition, she has won a bronze medal at the 2010 X Games.

Competitive career

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Serwa won a national championship in 2009 at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, defeating world champion Ashleigh McIvor.[1] Serwa won her first world cup event on January 13, 2009 at the Alpe d'Huez course after these finals were canceled on the 2009–10 Freestyle Skiing World Cup.[2] Serwa won her first outright world cup race later that season at Lake Placid on January 24, 2010.[3]

At the 2010 Winter X Games two weeks before the Olympics, Serwa managed to win a bronze at the famous cash event, fellow countrywoman Ashleigh McIvor had finished second.[4] Serwa was a member of the Canadian Olympic team that competed in Vancouver in her home province of British Columbia. Serwa's bronze at the Winter X Games and third overall ranking on the world cup put her in as a medal favourite at the Olympics in Vancouver. She advanced to the semi-finals, but finished third in her heat and did not make the medal final. However, she competed in the "small final", which she won, finishing fifth overall.

During the next season Serwa won the gold at the X Games with a dramatic finish flying 150 feet in the air and crashing out badly injured, but the champion.[5] Serwa carried her X Games winning momentum into the 2011 World Championships. There she qualified as the fourth fastest skier, Serwa then went on to finish first in the final ahead of teammate Julia Murray.[6] With the victory she completed the seasonal sweep of the two biggest ski cross events in the world.

On February 21, 2014, Serwa won silver in women's ski cross during her second Olympics, finishing behind gold medalist and Canadian teammate Marielle Thompson.

Serwa suffered a training accident in December 2016 and considered retirement from ski cross, but ultimately returned to the sport following knee surgery. She subsequently earned a place on Canada's ski cross team for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.[7] Serwa went on to win the gold medal in women's ski cross, with her teammate Brittany Phelan winning the silver medal.[8]

On July 4, 2019, Serwa announced her retirement from competitive ski cross, after ten years on the national team.[9]

Personal life

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Serwa's grandfather, Clifford Jack Serwa, was a co-founder of the Big White Ski Resort, and later a longtime member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia representing Okanagan. Serwa married Stan Rey, a retired competitive ski cross athlete, in 2019. She began studying kinesiology at the University of British Columbia at Okanagan.[10]

World Cup results

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All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[11]

Season standings

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 Season   Age  Overall Ski cross Cross Alps Tour
2009 19 12 3 —
2010 20 11 4 —
2011 21 7 3 —
2012 22 29 9 —
2013 23 19 4 —
2014 24 73 17 —
2015 25 did not compete —
2016 26 31 8 —
2017 27 134 24 17
2018 28 27 7 6
2019 29 32 8 —

Race Podiums

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  • 8 wins – (8 SX)
  • 20 podiums – (20 SX)
Season Date Location Discipline Place
2008–09 5 January 2009 Austria St. Johann in Tirol/Oberndorf, Austria Ski Cross 3rd
20 March 2009 France La Plagne, France Ski Cross 2nd
2009–10 13 January 2010 France Alpe d'Huez, France Ski Cross 1st
24 January 2010 United States Lake Placid, USA Ski Cross 1st
12 March 2010  Switzerland  Grindelwald, Switzerland Ski Cross 1st
2010–11 18 December 2010 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 2nd
12 January 2011 France Alpe d'Huez, France Ski Cross 1st
16 January 2011 France Les Contamines, France Ski Cross 2nd
13 March 2011 Sweden Branas, Sweden Ski Cross 2nd
19 March 2011 Norway Myrkdalen-Voss, Norway Ski Cross 2nd
2011–12 17 December 2011 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 1st
18 December 2011 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 1st
2012–13 23 December 2012 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 1st
15 January 2013 France Megève, France Ski Cross 2nd
19 February 2013 Russia Sochi, Russia Ski Cross 1st
2013–14 21 December 2013 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 2nd
2015–16 20 December 2015 Italy Innichen, Italy Ski Cross 2nd
28 February 2016 South Korea Bogwang, South Korea Ski Cross 2nd
2017–18 7 December 2017 France Val Thorens, France Ski Cross 3rd
2018–19 20 January 2019 Sweden Idre, Sweden Ski Cross 3rd

Olympic results

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  • 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver)
 Year   Age  Ski Cross
Canada 2010 Vancouver 20 5
Russia 2014 Sochi 24 2
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang 28 1

World Championships results

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  • 1 medal – (1 gold)
 Year   Age  Ski Cross
Japan 2009 Inawashiro 19 5
United States 2011 Deer Valley 21 1
Norway 2013 Voss 23   DNS[a]
Austria 2015 Kreischberg 25 did not
compete
Spain 2017 Sierra Nevada 27
United States 2019 Solitude Mountain 29 5

a. 1 Kelsey Serwa suffered a knee injury in the training and was unable to compete in the race.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Kelsey Serwa & Dave Duncan Crowned this years Canadian Champions at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary". Pacific Sport. January 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  2. ^ "Canadians Savour Long Awaited Wins". Toronto Star. January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
  3. ^ "Double gold for Canada in skicross". CBC News. January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  4. ^ "Canadian ski cross team takes 5 of 6 podium spots". Vancouver Sun. January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010. [dead link]
  5. ^ Gary Kingston (February 2, 2011). "Serwa hurtin' but good as gold". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  6. ^ "Del Bosco, Serwa win ski cross worlds". CBC Sports. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  7. ^ "Canada's Marielle Thompson looks to cap improbable comeback in women's ski cross". CBC Sports. February 21, 2018. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2018.
  8. ^ "Canada's Kelsey Serwa wins gold, Brittany Phelan grabs silver in women's skicross at Winter Olympics". The Globe and Mail. February 22, 2018.
  9. ^ Spencer, Donna (July 4, 2019). "Canada's Kelsey Serwa retires from ski cross as reigning Olympic champion". CBC Sports.
  10. ^ MacNaull, Steve (November 28, 2020). "Catching up with the Okanagan's favourite Olympic gold medalist". Kelowna Now.
  11. ^ "Kelsey Serwa". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  12. ^ Marois, Michel (March 11, 2013). "Ski acrobatique: le Canada survole les Mondiaux". La Presse (in French). Retrieved February 23, 2018.
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