FREESTYLE SKIING - AERIALS: Reigning Olympic Champion Lydia Lassila leads Australia’s aerial skiing squad into competition this weekend hoping to continue the proud history that other Australian athletes have established at Beijing’s spectacular Bird’s Nest stadium.

The stunning world renowned stadium, the centrepiece of the 2008 Beijing summer Olympic Games, has been transformed to host round two of the aerial skiing World Cup tour.

Although Lassila will no doubt revel in the sight of the venue, her competitive nature will soon take over for several reasons.

The triple Olympian is intent on becoming the first Australian winter athlete to defend a gold medal in Sochi 2014. But in the short term, Lassila is focused on rectifying a frustrating opening World Cup round last weekend, also in China, in Beida Lake.

Competing in the qualifying round, aiming to advance to the first final, Lassila executed her first jump with her normal level of precision but on the point of contacting the snow, she broke a ski, making it impossible to ski out of the landing.

Judges had no alternative but to award the Australian a low score, meaning that her day had finished before she really started.

Lassila knows that World Cup form carried into Sochi will be an important part of her prospects to create Australian winter sports history.

Also poised to prevent Chinese skiers from making it back-to-back World Cup wins are Laura Peel and Danielle Scott, who were sixth and 11th respectively, in round one.

After finishes of 17th and 24th, Samantha Wells and Renee McElduff are fighting hard to qualify for their first journey to an Olympic Games.

In the men’s draw, David Morris, last season’s world number two, is looking to improve on his fifth place, which was the squad’s best result in Beida Lake.

Morris, who narrowly missed the medal round by just a handful of points last week, said he has seen photos of the stadium and believes the venue looks “amazing.”

“The Bird’s Nest looks spectacular and I hope it is a great event and I can do well there,” he said.

Morris has spent a great deal of time this week restoring his confidence to the level of last season and putting himself under less pressure, something he believes held him back a little in Beida Lake.

Olympic Champions Steve Hooker and Sally Pearson, who both won medals in the Beijing Bird’s Nest, have sent their best to the aerials contingent via social media.