By Steve Hubrecht
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There was no podium for Panorama alpine ski racer Cassidy Gray in the women’s giant slalom (GS) at the Beijing Olympics earlier this week. Gray caught an edge early in her race, resulting in a DNF (did not finish) for her in the first fun of the GS on Monday, Feb. 7.

The Pioneer was unable to contact Gray in China for her reaction to the result, but she was one of quite a few skiers who were disqualified during the women’s GS (in total, 19 of the 80 women to ski at least one of the two runs in the GS ended with a DNF) on the course known as the Ice River at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center, which is roughly 100 kilometers northwest of Beijing.

Gray’s fellow Canadian teammate Valerie Grenier also ended with a DNF after catching her hand on a gate and then missing the following gate, quite close to the finish line. The defending 2018 Olympic women’s GS champion, American Mikaela Shiffrin also was disqualified, sliding out and missing a gate just a few turns into her first run.
Gray will ski again on Saturday Feb. 19 as part of the parallel mixed team event. Invermere alpine race Amelia was scheduled to race in the women’s slalom on Wednesday Feb. 9 (after Pioneer press deadline, but before the paper was distributed in the Columbia Valley). Windermere ski cross racer Courtney Hoffos will take part in the women’s ski cross on Thursday, Feb. 17.