Kelsey Serwa

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
Kelsey Serwa in Calgary, 2014
Country Canada
Born (1989-09-01) September 1, 1989
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Ski clubBC Ski Cross
World Cup career
Seasons10 – (2009–2014, 2016–2019)
Individual wins8
Indiv. podiums20
Indiv. starts83
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 place2018 PyeongchangSki cross
Silver medal – second place2014 SochiSki cross
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 Deer ValleySki cross
Winter X Games
Gold medal – first place2011 AspenSki cross
Gold medal – first place2016 AspenSki cross
Bronze medal – third place2010 AspenSki cross

Competitive career

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

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

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

Season standings
 Season   Age  Overall Ski cross Cross Alps Tour
200919123—
201020114—
20112173—
201222299—
201323194—
2014247317—
201525did not compete—
201626318—
2017271342417
2018282776
201929328—

Race Podiums
  • 8 wins – (8 SX)
  • 20 podiums – (20 SX)
Season Date Location Discipline Place
2008–095 January 2009Austria St. Johann in Tirol/Oberndorf, AustriaSki Cross3rd
20 March 2009France La Plagne, FranceSki Cross2nd
2009–1013 January 2010France Alpe d'Huez, FranceSki Cross1st
24 January 2010United States Lake Placid, USASki Cross1st
12 March 2010 Switzerland  Grindelwald, SwitzerlandSki Cross1st
2010–1118 December 2010Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross2nd
12 January 2011France Alpe d'Huez, FranceSki Cross1st
16 January 2011France Les Contamines, FranceSki Cross2nd
13 March 2011Sweden Branas, SwedenSki Cross2nd
19 March 2011Norway Myrkdalen-Voss, NorwaySki Cross2nd
2011–1217 December 2011Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross1st
18 December 2011Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross1st
2012–1323 December 2012Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross1st
15 January 2013France Megève, FranceSki Cross2nd
19 February 2013Russia Sochi, RussiaSki Cross1st
2013–1421 December 2013Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross2nd
2015–1620 December 2015Italy Innichen, ItalySki Cross2nd
28 February 2016South Korea Bogwang, South KoreaSki Cross2nd
2017–187 December 2017France Val Thorens, FranceSki Cross3rd
2018–1920 January 2019Sweden Idre, SwedenSki Cross3rd

Olympic results
  • 2 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver)
 Year   Age  Ski Cross
Canada 2010 Vancouver205
Russia 2014 Sochi242
South Korea 2018 Pyeongchang281

World Championships results
  • 1 medal – (1 gold)
 Year   Age  Ski Cross
Japan 2009 Inawashiro195
United States 2011 Deer Valley211
Norway 2013 Voss23  DNS[a]
Austria 2015 Kreischberg25did not
compete
Spain 2017 Sierra Nevada27
United States 2019 Solitude Mountain295

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

References
  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.
  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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