By Freddy Perryman, U.S. Ski Team

PARK CITY -– John Teller of Mammoth Lakes just missed the skicross final round Friday, but won the small finals to finish fifth at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at Deer Valley Resort in Park City. Canada’s Chris Del Bosco and Kelsey Serwa swept gold.

Teller was the only American to make Friday’s skicross finals. After qualifying for the finals in ninth, Teller skied well, passing his way through the first heat and the quarterfinals before finishing third in his semifinal race earning a spot in the small final.

Teller took full advantage of his opportunity in the small final where he blasted into the lead, taking the hole shot at the first corner and never looked back. He finished fifth overall.

“I had some goals coming into this season. They were pretty high goals and I’d say I’ve achieved them,” said a confident Teller.

Teller’s strong finish in Friday’s World Championships comes only a week after he won gold in the 2011 Winter X Games in Aspen.

“The course was good,” said American Skicross Association’s Casey Puckett, who came out of retirement last week to place third in skicross at Winter X Games 15. “There was room to pass and Teller made a lot of passes today.”

In the first heat of the women’s quarterfinals, there was a massive crash where all of the skiers, including Ophelie David of France, went down. Going into Friday’s races, David was favored to make the skicross finals.

Del Bosco’s gold came after finishing fourth in the 2009 Worlds and the Olympics last year. Jouni Pellinen of Finland and Andreas Matt of Austria earned silver and bronze, respectively, to round out the men’s podium. Matt, the brother of Austrian alpine star Mario Matt, was the defending World Champion. The women’s silver went to Julia Murray of Canada and Anna Holmlund of Sweden got the bronze.

Official results, FIS World Freestyle Ski Championships, Deer Valley Resort, Skicross

Men

Gold: Chris Del Bosco, Canada

Silver: Jouni Pellinen, Finland

Bronze: Andreas Matt, Austria

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5. John Teller, Mammoth Lakes, CA

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DNQ for finals:

37. Patrick Duran, Fayson, VT

38. Trevor Ricioli, South Lake Tahoe, CA

40. Ethan Fortney, Tenino, WA

Women

Gold: Kelsey Serwa, Canada

Silver: Julia Murray, Canada

Bronze: Anna Holmlund, Sweden