Switzerland’s Fanny Smith was the strongest performer in women’s qualification at the FIS Ski Cross World Cup in Idre Fjall ©Getty Images

Switzerland’s Fanny Smith was the strongest performer in women’s qualification at the International Ski Federation Ski Cross World Cup in Idre Fjall, where high winds meant only the first of two scheduled events could be held.

Smith, the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic bronze medallist and 2013 world champion, clocked a time of 1min 14.21sec to beat nearest challenger Heidi Zacher of Germany by a margin of 0.81 seconds.

Completing the top three was Switzerland’s Sanna Luedi, who finished 1.27 seconds behind.

Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund, the overall World Cup leader who was competing in front of a home crowd, ranked seventh in 1:15.98.

A total of 16 skiers qualified for the final.

Both events went ahead as planned in men’s qualification, with the top three being exactly the same in the first and the second.

France’s Bastien Midol, the overall World Cup leader, won the first event in 1:09.30.

He was followed in the standings by compatriot Francois Place in 1:10.22 and Germany’s Florian Wilmsmann in 1:10.40.

In the second event, Midol triumphed in 1:09.89 with Place second in 1:10.19 and Wilmsmann third in 1:10.81.

Thirty-two skiers qualified for the finals, which will be spread across the next two days.