Baron, Howden claim ski cross victories at Idre Fjall

STOCKHOLM - France's Alizee Baron took her first title in five years in the women's Ski Cross World Cup at Idre Fjall, Sweden on Saturday, while Canada's Reece Howden won the men's competition.

Baron's teammate Marielle Berger-Sabbatel nearly stole the win as she closed in before the end, and it took a photo finish to see that Baron had crossed the line first.

Austrian Ofner finished third, while Wednesday's heat winner Fanny Smith of Switzerland ranking fourth despite leading the starting stage.

In the men's event, Howden won from his main rival, the Swiss veteran Jonas Lenherr, while two new faces - Niklas Bachsleitner from Germany and Italy's Simone Deromedis - also showed well.

Lenherr took the lead after dashing out of the starting gate, but Howden surpassed him in the final section.

Deromedis and Bachsleitner put great pressure on their two opponents and almost crossed the finish line at the same time as Lenherr, before a photo finish showed that Howden, Lenherr and Bachsleitner were the top three finishers.