After dominating the qualifications, Thompson looked strong and confident throughout, engaging in battles and making passes where necessary to win every heat on her way to an emphatic triumph.

Her biggest move of the day came in the big final, where she trailed Sweden's Anna Holmlund through the middle section of the course before making a pass out of the banked fifth turn and pulling away through the final stretch.

Crossing the finish line comfortably in first, with Holmlund and local star Katrin Ofner taking second and third respectively, Thompson marked her first race since injuring her knee at the Kreischberg 2015 World Championships in January with victory. 

"I didn't get quite as a good a start as Anna there, but I knew there were lots of places to pass and there had been lots of passes all day," Thompson said.

"I knew the last two banks were running really fast, so I switched it up from my planned line and slingshotted out of turn four into turn five and passed her there.

"I was super stoked that my patience paid off."

Thompson admitted she was not certain she would be able to step right back into top form so early in the season.

"I always go out there to win, but also I was just kind of happy to be in the final," she said.

"But from the first training day, when I saw my transponder times and knew I could be fast out there, it was nice today to go out there and confirm that."

While Thompson's win validated her rehabilitation regime, success for her counterpart Del Bosco on the men's side was sweet redemption after a tough couple of seasons that saw him ski well without reaping any of the rewards.

Del Bosco's win was his first on the World Cup circuit in nearly two years, and that, combined with Brady Leman's runner-up performance, is expected to provide a considerable boost for a Canadian men's team that has struggled at times over the past two seasons.

"It was pretty special," Del Bosco said of standing on the podium with his team-mate Leman.

"Looking back and seeing Brady behind me and him knowing how much I've struggled the last couple seasons, to see him stoked for me was pretty cool.

"It goes to show that we've put in all the work and we're firing - it's a huge validation.

"Hopefully we can keep it rolling through the next four races before Christmas."

Third place on the day went to Kreischberg 2015 world champion Filip Flisar of Slovenia, who will be looking to rediscover the form that saw him take the 2011-2012 crystal globe as the top-ranked male in the Ski Cross World Cup standings.

The Ski Cross World Cup now moves to what is often considered to be the standout venue on the tour, Val Thorens in France.

Qualification is scheduled for Thursday (December 10), followed by racing on Friday (December 11) and Saturday (December 12).


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