Australian aerial skier Lainie Cole has joined her more celebrated team-mates Alisa Camplin, Jacqui Cooper and Lydia Ierodiaconou in fulfilling the Australian Olympic Committee qualifying criteria for possible selection to the Australian team for Torino 2006.
Australian aerial skier Lainie Cole has joined her more celebrated team-mates Alisa Camplin, Jacqui Cooper and Lydia Ierodiaconou in fulfilling the Australian Olympic Committee qualifying criteria for possible selection to the Australian team for Torino 2006.
Cole finished in eighth place in the first of two World Cup events in Changchung, China, in a low scoring competition that also saw team-mate Liz Gardner post the first of the three qualifying results she needs to be eligible for selection.
Only eight triple twisting double somersaults were performed during the competition, one of them helping Chinese skier Jiao Wang to the second World Cup victory of her career, in the absence of world champion team-mate Nina Li.
Wang scored 178.48 points to finish ahead of fellow Chinese skier Shanshan Zhao, making the podium for the first time on 172.67 points, and Swiss skier Evelyne Leu on 168.58.
Cole had compiled two of the necessary top 60 per cent of field results in the opening two events of the season in Mt Buller in September, and this latest performance completes the trio of qualifying marks she needed for possible selection.
Gardner, who missed a top 20 per cent result in the 2005 world championships which would have been an instant qualifier, was relieved to pick up the first of her three top 60 per centers after missing out in Mt Buller.
The remaining member of the Olympic Winter Institute team competing in China, Bree Munro, finished near the bottom of the field in 19th place after a poor landing on her triple twisting double somersault in the opening round of jumping.
Another World Cup competition will be contested on Sunday.
Cole finished in eighth place in the first of two World Cup events in Changchung, China, in a low scoring competition that also saw team-mate Liz Gardner post the first of the three qualifying results she needs to be eligible for selection.
Only eight triple twisting double somersaults were performed during the competition, one of them helping Chinese skier Jiao Wang to the second World Cup victory of her career, in the absence of world champion team-mate Nina Li.
Wang scored 178.48 points to finish ahead of fellow Chinese skier Shanshan Zhao, making the podium for the first time on 172.67 points, and Swiss skier Evelyne Leu on 168.58.
Cole had compiled two of the necessary top 60 per cent of field results in the opening two events of the season in Mt Buller in September, and this latest performance completes the trio of qualifying marks she needed for possible selection.
Gardner, who missed a top 20 per cent result in the 2005 world championships which would have been an instant qualifier, was relieved to pick up the first of her three top 60 per centers after missing out in Mt Buller.
The remaining member of the Olympic Winter Institute team competing in China, Bree Munro, finished near the bottom of the field in 19th place after a poor landing on her triple twisting double somersault in the opening round of jumping.
Another World Cup competition will be contested on Sunday.
