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.
| Kelsey Serwa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Kelsey Serwa in Calgary, 2014 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 1, 1989 Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ski club | BC Ski Cross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seasons | 10 – (2009–2014, 2016–2019) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. starts | 83 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. podiums | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiv. wins | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall titles | 0 – (7th in 2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline titles | 0 – Ski cross (3rd in 2009, 2011) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Competitive career
editSerwa 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
editSerwa'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
editAll results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).[11]
Season standings
edit| 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
edit| Season | Date | Location | Discipline | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 5 January 2009 |  St. Johann in Tirol/Oberndorf, Austria |
Ski Cross | 3rd |
| 20 March 2009 |  La Plagne, France |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 2009–10 | 13 January 2010 | Alpe d'Huez, France |
Ski Cross | 1st |
| 24 January 2010 |  Lake Placid, USA |
Ski Cross | 1st | |
| 12 March 2010 |  Grindelwald, Switzerland |
Ski Cross | 1st | |
| 2010–11 | 18 December 2010 |  Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 2nd |
| 12 January 2011 | Alpe d'Huez, France |
Ski Cross | 1st | |
| 16 January 2011 | Les Contamines, France |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 13 March 2011 |  Branas, Sweden |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 19 March 2011 |  Myrkdalen-Voss, Norway |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 2011–12 | 17 December 2011 | Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 1st |
| 18 December 2011 | Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 1st | |
| 2012–13 | 23 December 2012 | Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 1st |
| 15 January 2013 | Megève, France |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 19 February 2013 |  Sochi, Russia |
Ski Cross | 1st | |
| 2013–14 | 21 December 2013 | Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 2nd |
| 2015–16 | 20 December 2015 | Innichen, Italy |
Ski Cross | 2nd |
| 28 February 2016 |  Bogwang, South Korea |
Ski Cross | 2nd | |
| 2017–18 | 7 December 2017 | Val Thorens, France |
Ski Cross | 3rd |
| 2018–19 | 20 January 2019 | Idre, Sweden |
Ski Cross | 3rd |
Olympic results
edit- 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver)
| Year | Age | Ski Cross |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 Vancouver |
20 | 5 |
| 2014 Sochi |
24 | 2 |
| 2018 Pyeongchang |
28 | 1 |
World Championships results
edit- 1 medal – (1 gold)
| Year | Age | Ski Cross |
|---|---|---|
 2009 Inawashiro |
19 | 5 |
| 2011 Deer Valley |
21 | 1 |
| 2013 Voss |
23 | DNS[a] |
| 2015 Kreischberg |
25 | did not compete |
 2017 Sierra Nevada |
27 | |
| 2019 Solitude Mountain |
29 | 5 |
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "Canadians Savour Long Awaited Wins". Toronto Star. January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
- ^ "Double gold for Canada in skicross". CBC News. January 24, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
- ^ "Canadian ski cross team takes 5 of 6 podium spots". Vancouver Sun. January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 1, 2010. [dead link]
- ^ Gary Kingston (February 2, 2011). "Serwa hurtin' but good as gold". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Del Bosco, Serwa win ski cross worlds". CBC Sports. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Canada's Kelsey Serwa wins gold, Brittany Phelan grabs silver in women's skicross at Winter Olympics". The Globe and Mail. February 22, 2018.
- ^ Spencer, Donna (July 4, 2019). "Canada's Kelsey Serwa retires from ski cross as reigning Olympic champion". CBC Sports.
- ^ MacNaull, Steve (November 28, 2020). "Catching up with the Okanagan's favourite Olympic gold medalist". Kelowna Now.
- ^ "Kelsey Serwa". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
- ^ Marois, Michel (March 11, 2013). "Ski acrobatique: le Canada survole les Mondiaux". La Presse (in French). Retrieved February 23, 2018.
External links
edit
- Kelsey Serwa at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
- Kelsey Serwa at the X Games (archived)
- Kelsey Serwa at Olympedia (archive)
- Kelsey Serwa at Olympics.com
- Kelsey Serwa at Team Canada
- CBC Sochi 2014 profile
- Alpine Canada profile
