Serwa 8th in opening race

Photo: Alpine Canada

Kelowna's Kelsey Serwa had to settle for an eighth place finish in the opening race of the World Cup ski cross season in Val Thorens, France.

Teammate Marielle Thompson won the event on the same course in which she registered back-to-back wins just a year ago.

Serwa, the reigning X-Games champion and Olympic silver medalist, joined Thompson in today's semi-final.

With Serwa leading the whole way down, Thompson closed the gap over the final feature on the course pushing Serwa out of advancing to the next heat in a photo-finish, almost too close to call.

Georgia Simmerling finished ninth after a strong fourth place finish in Thursday's qualifying.

Simmerling was racing for the first time since capturing a bronze medal in cycling at the Rio Olympics.

Chris Del Bosco finished second in the men's final, but was relegated to fourth when it was determined he had straddled a gate on the negative turn.

A second World Cup race will be held on the same course tomorrow before racers head to Arosa, Switzerland, for a race Tuesday.

The front portion of the season is packed with six races before Christmas.