Jacqui Cooper has won World Championship bronze in aerial skiing, eight years after winning the world title in 1999.

Cooper led after the opening round of jumping, scoring 110.76 points with her triple twisting triple somersault to be seven points clear of the field.

But in the second jump she was a casualty of the strong and gusty winds that buffeted the course during the event, a sudden blast catching the 34-year-old veteran halfway down the in-run, robbing her of the speed she needed to complete her double twisting triple jump.

She received 71.82 points from the judges for a total of 182.58 points, enough for a podium place but not for the gold, which went to defending champion Nina Li of China.

Li scored 188.05 points, the lowest World Championship-winning score since 1995, while Belarussian Assoli Slivets took the silver on 186.55 points.

Olympic Winter Institute team member Liz Gardner placed tenth on 153.40 points.

"It was very tough with the wind today, and we didn't get it right on the final jump" Cooper said.
 
"I had four goals at the start of the season - to win the World Cup, to set a new record points score, to set a new record for the number of career victories and to win the World Championship, and I'm really disappointed I couldn't get the last one."
 
"The first jump was great - I scored a seven-zero (a perfect score) from one of the judges - and in the second round I only needed 78 points, and couldn't do it, so I'm disappointed about that."
 
"I know it's been a very good year, but I really wanted to win this one."