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Aussie Aerialists Ready For Vancouver

 

Feb 03, 2010 / 12:52:22 PM


Words - Don St Pierre
Images - OWI

Enduring bitter cold Quebec conditions of -22 degrees, Australia's Liz Gardner takes fourth at the final World Cup aerial competition of the season. Qualifying in eighth position, just in front of teammate Bree Munro. Gardner was able to move up the leader board to finish fourth, posting a total score of 160.78, performing a triple and a double twisting double (double full-full and full-full). In finals Munro maintained ninth, also performing triple and double twisting doubles (full-double full and full-full). Wining the event was current World Cup leader Nina Li of China who stuck to triple twisting doubles opting not to throw triple flips (full-double full and double full-full). As sometimes happens under difficult conditions many of the regular podium stars backed down their difficulty perhaps playing safe with less than two weeks to go before Vancouver.


No finals to be had in Quebec for Lassila and Cooper

After wining the last two World Cups, Lydia Lassila failed to qualify for finals executing a single twisting triple or lay-tuck-full touching a hand on landing to score a 67.55 finishing in 17th place. Jacqui Cooper also missed finals performing a double twisting double or full-full to finish in 14th with a score of 76.86. After three events entered this season Jacqui's best result remains a seventh from Deer Valley. Jacqui has yet to throw her triple somersaults in competition this season and is undoubtedly waiting for game day come Vancouver to bust out her best work. Heading into her fifth Winter Olympic Games and having won every major title within her sport Jacqui has found success at the Olympics to be elusive and is justifiably taking a new low-key approach heading to Vancouver. Second only to China, the Australian women's aerial team houses one of the best line-ups of any national team. With Lassila, Cooper, Gardner and Munro competing at the Olympic women's aerial qualifiers February 20th and again for the medal round February 24th, Australia has plenty of reason to be optimistic about seeing at least one of their own up on the podium, maybe more.


David Morris misses finals by less than 6 points

Australian David Morris continues to throw down solid jumps but narrowly missed out on qualifying for the finals at Mont Gabriel by 5.61 points. With a triple twisting triple (full-full-full) Morris took 12th place, just two spots away from qualifying but this clearly indicates Morris is in the mix and doing amazing work given his short career of eight World Cups since last season. The level of competition in World Cup aerials is so intense the slightest imbalance on landing or a tiny form break in the air means the difference between going on to the finals or taking an early bath. Let's see what happens for Morrris when the men's Olympic aerial qualification kicks off at Cypress Mountain February 22.

Taking the season by force has been Anton Kushnir of Belorussia. With a total score of 263.55 and two quad twisting triple flips (full double-full full and double-full full full) Kushnir finished way ahead of second place winner Guangpu Ql of China scoring a 236.97. The Swiss took out third through fifth.. Heading up the Swiss Team was Renato Ulrich in third with 215.42, Christian Haechler fourth with 213.58 and Thomas Lambert in fifth with a 211.27.

FIS crystal globes awarded at World Cup finals

After seven World Cup aerial events Mont Gabriel is the last World Cup this season and the crystal globe for season World Number One for the women goes to China's Nina Li and the men's globe goes to Belarusian, Anton Kushnir. After nine years on the World Cup circuit Li has amassed 16 World Cup victories and jumped on the podium forty-one times. Nina Li is the current World Champion and has competed in two Winter Olympics. In the 2002 Olympics at Salt Lake Li took a fifth going on to Torino in 2006 to take silver, look out Vancouver. Anton Kushner took his first World Cup podium in 2007 and his first win in 2008 but beginning this December Kushner has proven largely unbeatable winning four out of six events along with placing second and third never missing the podium. Kushner placed eighth at his first Olympics in Torino 2006 and is undoubtedly looking to improve upon that result in Vancouver.

Quebec World Cup marks a bitter historical moment for Canada

The Canadian aerial team has been a force within Freestyle Aerials since the sports inception. Ironically, the Mont Gabriel World Cup marks an historical moment as the event took place without a single Canadian in the finals. Whether it's a sign of the times is hard to determine after all this is the same team that took second, third and fourth only a week earlier at Lake Placid. With Warren Shouldice, Ryan Blais and Kyle Nissan. Shouldice and Nissan qualified for the Olympics and unfortunately Blais narrowly missed Olympic selection as he also did in 2006. Blais may have opted for early retirement and Shouldice and Nissan may be taking a break before the Olympics. Whatever the case, by missing the Mont Gabriel World Cup, these three Canadians perhaps unknowingly led the team to a non-Canadian World Cup final in their own back yard. Could there be more of the same come Vancouver.

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