Ashleigh McIvor

Ladies Ski Cross at Cypress Mountain - February 23rd, 2010

GOLD MEDAL - 2010 Olympic Winter Games 

Date of Birth: September 15, 1983
Birthplace: Whistler, BC
Hometown: Whistler, BC
Ht: / Wt: 5'10" / 145 lbs
Coach: Eric Archer
Language Spoken: English
Web Site: www.ashleighmcivor.com
Began Competing: 2003
Specialty: Ski Cross
Pronunciation: ASH-lee muh-KIGH-vur

2010

Ashley McIvor took Gold on Feb 23rd, 2010 at Cypress Mountain in women's ski cross, a victory that didn't come as a surprise to many who had been watching her career. McIvor, the reigning world champion, took the lead in each round going into the final and defeated Hedda Bernsten of Norway. "This is the most amazing thing, this is the most amazing moment of my entire life," McIvor said after the race. "I was standing in the start gate thinking everything in my life is leading me here. "There's nothing more I could have done to come here better prepared."

Event Results - Click Here...

2008-2009

This was a breakout season for McIvor. After two poor results at the start of the season, McIvor finished in the top ten in seven out of the eight remaining World Cup races, including four podium finishes.

On March 2, 2009, McIvor became the ski cross World Champion, winning the title in Inawashiro, Japan. McIvor overcame remarkable circumstances to win the gold medal. Despite finishing 28th out of 30 in qualification, and having the worst lane choice for every single round of racing through to the final, McIvor was still able to battle through four rounds of racing and win the gold medal. As she explained after the race, "My favourite part was being on the top of the podium with bib 28 on!" She will be the reigning world champion during the inaugural Olympic ski cross competition in 2010.

2007-2008

Competing and training with the national team, McIvor competed in two World Cup races in the 2007-08 season, finishing fourth and fifth. Her season was affected by a re-occurring shoulder injury; she dislocated her shoulder during the first race of the season (her fourth place finish) in the semi-finals, but managed to finish the heat and won an automatic fourth place finish. Her fifth place finish came just three days later, while she was still nursing the injured shoulder. Effectively, she was pulling out of the start gate using only one arm.

2006-2007

As in the previous season, McIvor has very few results from the 2006-07 season. However, she did attend three selection camps for the new Canadian national ski cross team, and spent much of the winter in training. She was named to the national team for their inaugural 2007-08 season.

2005-2006

McIvor had few results this season. As she describes it, ski cross went through "a bit of a lull" prior to the announcement in November 2006 that ski cross would be added to the 2010 Olympic program. Although she continued to ski, and did compete at the 2006 X Games (finishing seventh), it was a relatively slow year for McIvor.