FREESTYLE:
Eight Canadians advance to Calgary moguls finals
CALGARY, Alberta — Calgary fans are assured a great, free show at Canada Olympic Park on Saturday, as four Canadian men and four Canadian women advanced to the 12-person finals of the Canada Post Grand Prix in moguls action here Thursday, and two young Canadian moguls skiers made their dreams come true by securing their spots to the upcoming FIS World Championships in Deer Valley, Utah.
In the men’s division, Mikael Kingsbury led the qualification round. He was followed by Olympic champion Alex Bilodeau and France’s Guilbaut Colas. Rookie Simon Pouliot-Cavanagh and Cedric Rochon will also compete on Saturday.
Kingsbury, who is second in the World Cup standings, said, “I was a bit more nervous than usual on top of the course today because there are some big moguls in the middle and I was going really far off the jumps in training. But I managed to keep it tight for my run, so I’m super-happy.”
Bilodeau announced that fans can look for him to “do a big show for everyone on Saturday, so if you’re in Calgary come early — finals are at 10:30.”
A 22nd-place finish was not enough for 19-year-old Marc-Antoine Gagnon to advance to finals, but it did secure him a spot for next week’s World Championships, just edging out Langley, B.C.’s Eddie Hicks .
In women’s action, World Cup points leader Hannah Kearney from the U.S. qualified first. She was followed by Jenn Heil, who announced earlier this week that this will be her last World Cup on Canadian soil. Heather McPhie of the U.S. was third.
Heil said, “I love this course, it’s really technical, which I love. I like the extra challenge, but I was off a bit today, so I’m going to have to go back and review it on video and come out a lot stronger on Saturday.”
Chloe Dufour-Lapointe finished the day in seventh spot. She will be joined in the final by Chelsea Henitiuk and Audrey Robichaud, who earned her ticket to World Championships by qualifying for finals Thursday.
Montreal teenager Justine Dufour-Lapointe crashed before her second air and failed to advance.
World Cup qualifications continue Friday with the aerials event, which begins with the women’s division at 11:45 MT.
Finals for moguls and aerials start on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. MT at WinSport Canada’s Canada Olympic Park. The public is welcome to attend this free event. Click here for spectator information.
Saturday’s finals will be live-streamed on the web at http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/freestylegrandprix/. S-Magazine
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