Owens claims first podium in new Olympic event | Australian Olympic Committee

Former Olympic alpine skier Jenny Owens has won silver in a World Cup ski cross event in Flaine, France, in only the fifth event of her new freestyle career. Owens overcame minor knee and groin injuries to qualify in tenth place, then skied through three head-to-head final rounds to claim her first medal in the sport that will make its Olympic debut in Vancouver in 2010.

Former Olympic alpine skier Jenny Owens has won silver in a World Cup ski cross in Flaine, France, in only the fifth event of her new freestyle career.

Owens overcame minor knee and groin injuries to qualify in tenth place, then skied through three head-to-head final rounds to claim her first medal in the sport that will make its Olympic debut in Vancouver in 2010.

The 29-year-old Perisher Blue skier recorded a time of 55.86 seconds in qualifying, 1.09 seconds behind fastest woman Noriko Fukushima of Japan.

In the four women head-to-head rounds, Owens placed second to Austria’s Karin Huttary in her quarter final, then second to French skier Meryl Boulangeat in the semi-final, before going down to Boulangeat again in the final.

Fukushima collected the bronze medal.

“It was a very exciting day for me,” Owens said.

“This course has been easy on my knees and more like the courses set in the US which I’m more suited to.”

“I made life hard for myself once again, making a mistake in qualifying and placing tenth.”

“(In the final) I knew all I had to do was get out of the start as fast as I could and push like hell! I got out fast, and slipped in behind Meryl (Boulangeat).”

“I was trying to overtake her the whole way down but with the heavy snowfall overnight and during the morning, it was near impossible.”

Owens’ previous best result was a fourth place in Sierra Nevada in March 2006. A knee injury early in December 2006 put her out of the entire 2006/07 season.

In her previous skiing incarnation, Owens represented Australia in the alpine downhill and combined events at Salt Lake 2002, finishing in ninth place in the combined.

After finishing in 13th place in the opening ski cross event of the season last weekend, the NSWIS scholarship athlete has now moved into fourth place on the World Cup standings.

Boulangeat leads the standings on 160 points from Hedda Berntsen of Norway on 106 points and Ophelie David of France on 101, with Owens one point further back on 100.

The next event of the season will take place in Kreischberg, Austria, on Sunday night AEDT.