Australian aerial skier Laura Peel moved into third on the world rankings with the fourth podium finish of her career in the World Cup and test event of next year's Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia tonight.
Australian aerial skier Laura Peel moved into third on the world rankings with the fourth podium finish of her career in the World Cup and test event of next year’s Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia tonight.
Peel won the silver medal and lifted her ranking from six in the world before this event.
Australia now has three places in the world’s top five rankings.
Peel sits one place below fellow Australian Institute of Sport / Victorian Institute of Sport athlete Lydia Lassila, the current Olympic champion and world number two, with another AIS / VIS skier Danielle Scott, who finished in fifth place tonight, ranked at five.
The event was won by China’s Mengtao Xu with Switzerland’s Tanja Schaerer in third.
Peel said she was thrilled by the result and is now looking forward even more than before to the World Championship in Voss, Norway, early next month.
“We didn’t have great training,” Peel said. “It’s been tough all week.
“The conditions were tough, especially in qualification earlier. It was a little easier tonight.”
Peel said that she is now looking towards a strong finish to her northern hemisphere commitments after a delayed start to the season as a result of off-season surgery to her shoulder.
“I didn’t have as much training as I would have liked so I’m just now starting to get my tricks right.”
Scott can also be pleased with her performance of qualifying in fifth place but she was unable to keep the momentum going in the first final, finishing in 6th place.
Teammates Sam Wells qualified for the final and finished 9th while Renee McElduff finished 21st, after missing the cut.
Lassila decided not to compete tonight, due to back soreness from training yesterday.
In the men’s draw, AIS / VIS athlete and world number four David Morris started the night brilliantly by qualifying as the second top athlete with a score of 123.90, just 0.44 of a point short of top place.
But unfortunately for the Australian, he was unable to equal the standard in the first final, missing the super final and finishing in 8th overall.
Chinese athletes, Qi Guangpu and Lui Zhongqing took the first two places with Denis Osipau from Belarus in third place.
In another final today, dual World Champion Alex “Chumpy” Pullin was dealt a tough reminder of the misfortune that can sometimes accompany snowboard cross racing when he was taken down, while headed for a certain podium position, in the closing stages of the event.
Competing in his fifth final in as many events this season and the first since winning the World Championship, the Australian Institute of Sport rider crashed while in third place, and challenging for second, as the six finalists raced towards the finish line.
Pullin’s fall, brought about by Frenchman Pierre Vaultier crashing in front of him, pushed the Australian down to fifth place.
Austrian Alessandro Haemmerle recorded his debut World Cup victory, American Alex Diebold was second and Austrian Markus Schairer, was third.
Until the incident that knocked Pullin out of contention, he and Vaultier were vying for the lead through most of their final run down the mountain.
In the women’s event, Australia’s Belle Brockhoff also won through to the final, her second in World Cup competition this season, finishing sixth.
“I had a lot of luck on my side coming into the final,” Brockhoff said. “A lot of girls did crash but it was a good day.
In the medal round, Dutchwoman Bell Berghuis crashed in front of Brockhoff, which presented the Australian with a quick decision to make.
“I saw Bell Berghuis crash in front of me and it was a case of either taking her head off or crashing into the gate. I crashed into the gate.
“The Italian girl passed me and won. I came sixth and I’m pretty happy with that.”
Italy’s Michela Moioli took the gold medal, with Frenchwoman Nelly Moenne Loccoz second and Norwegian Helene Olafsen third.
Australia’s Cam Bolton qualified to the knock out rounds but finished 4th in his heat, which meant that he did not go further in the competition. Bolton finished 32nd overall.
AAP
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