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Marielle Thompson held off ski cross podium in Russia

Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson was blocked at the back of the pack and unable to pass her opponents, finishing fourth in Saturday's big air final at a World Cup event in Sunny Valley, Russia.

After prevailing in the quarter-final and semifinal heats, the Whistler, B.C., resident fell steadily behind the leaders in the final.

"I think I skied pretty well all day," the 26-year-old told Alpine Canada. "In the final, I kind of got cut off in the start section and didn't have anywhere to go from there."

WATCH | Marielle Thompson race for 4th place finish:

Three weeks ago, Thompson rallied late to claim her third gold medal at the freestyle world championships in Solitude, Utah.

WATCH | Thompson races to world championship gold:

Thompson, who tore her ACL and MCL four months before last year's Olympics, finished 17th in Pyeongchang, South Korea. She won gold at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Phelan, Sherret among top 10

Clean performances were required Saturday on the smaller jumps of a Sunny Valley course known for its great flow.

Fanny Smith of Switzerland captured the first of this weekend's first two ski cross races. Sweden's Sandra Naeslund and Austria's Andrea Limbacher rounded out the podium.

Canadians Brittany Phelan and India Sherret turned in top-10 performances, placing fifth and eighth, respectively.

Today, I broke through that mental barrier. — Canadian ski cross racer India Sherret

Phelan lost her footing in the semifinal, costing the native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., a chance at a podium finish as she took the small final.

For Sherret, her eighth-place effort in the small finish matched a season best from a competition in Italy in December.

"It's been a tough season, I haven't moved past the first round often," said the native of Cranbrook, B.C., who has one World Cup podium in her career, a bronze medal achieved last season in Sweden.

"Today, I broke through that mental barrier. I'm pretty happy with how today's race went. Skiing fast and having fun is what I'm here for."

Elsewhere, Kelsey Serwa was 10th and Edmonton's Abby McEwen 14th.

On the men's side, all three Canadian qualifiers saw their day end after one heat, with Montreal's Chris Del Bosco, Calgary's Brady Leman and Toronto's Kevin Drury occupying the 24th, 25th and 26th spots. Zach Belczyk of Banff, Alta., placed 36th after failing to crack the top 32 in qualifications.

Bastien Midol of France raced to gold.

WATCH | Midol's gold-medal performance: