American women sweep moguls podium in Lake Placid

By Published On: January 21st, 2010Comments Off on American women sweep moguls podium in Lake Placid

LAKE PLACID, NY (Jan 21.) – It was a good day to be an American woman moguls skier.

U.S. skiers Hannah Kearney, Shannon Bahrke, Heather McPhie and Michelle Roark finished 1,2,3,4 to kick off the Nature Valley Freestyle World Cup this weekend in Lake Placid, New York.

“When I got down and crossed the finish line, I looked to the side and there were three U.S. Team uniforms. It was such a good day for the U.S.,” Kearney said. “It’s an honor to come out on top, even when it is your teammates because those are the best skiers.  It definitely creates some buzz going into the Olympics to have four legitimate contenders for a medal. Any of our team members could do it and it’s really exciting for the U.S. Ski Team and for the USA.”

The world’s best moguls skiers were in action today at the last World Cup event before the Vancouver Games. Those with spots on their Olympic teams were tuning up, those still fighting to get to Vancouver were going all out to make the cut.

Kearney, last season’s World Cup champion, was back to her winning ways on her native east coast.  The Vermont native started the season with a win at both the World Cup season opener in Sumou, Finland and the Olympic trials in Steamboat, Colo. two days before Christmas. With her second Olympic berth in the bag her results took a dip as she collected 11th, 36th, eighth and fourth-places finishes through the first two thirds of the North American World Cup swing. She appears to be peaking again today with her second World Cup win of the season.

“That was so cool. It’s been such a fight for our team and everyone has done so well,” Bahrke said. “Everyone is putting down runs that are amazing and to be a part of that is cool. I’m proud of our girls and I think we did a good job today.”

Bahrke, a 12-year U.S. Ski Team veteran and Olympic silver medalist, grabbed her second podium of the season after finishing third at last week’s event in Deer Valley.  McPhie, a member of the U.S. C-Team, is having the best season of her five-year career on the national team. After starting the season with four top-ten World Cup results, she stepped up to her first career World Cup podium at home in Park City, Utah last weekend, sharing a winning tie with Canadian skier Jennifer Heil on the first day of competition at the Deer Valley World Cup. She clenched her first Olympic berth on the second day of competition with a third-place finish. Roark is also warming up ahead of what would be her second Olympic appearance. She took a third-place finish out of Deer Valley.

“To win the last event going into the Olympics is great for my confidence and I needed it,” Kearney said. “I’ve never had any success on this course and it’s sort of my home event, so it as nice to overcome that little streak I was having.”

Canada’s Chloe Dufour-Lapointe broke up the American streak in fifth place ahead of last season’s double World champion, Japan’s Aiko Uemura in sixth. American Laurel Shanley, who is back to competition after taking three year’s off to deal with injuries, earned her season high with a seventh-place finish. Teammate Shelly Robertson was the sixth American woman in the top ten with an eighth-place finish.

After four straight wins, Heil (who didn’t compete today) still leads the overall standings with 505 points. McPhie stands second with 416 points ahead of Kearney with 366 points. 

On the men’s side, it was Frances’ Guilbaut Colas with his second win in as many competitions. The 26-year-old, who is looking at the World Cup as practice for the Games, appears ready for Vancouver after a second and a victory in Deer Valley and a win today. Australian Dale Begg-Smith, who went on a three-win streak in early January, finished second on the day. Swede Jesper Bjoernlund, double winner at the World Cup opener in Suomu, Finland, took third and stepped up to his third career podium.

The American man didn’t fare nearly as well as the women as Michael Morse led the team in fifth place, his season high. Bryon Wilson, who secured his Olympic ticket with a pair of second-place finishes at the season opener and two top-20 results in Deer Valley, finished eighth today.  World champion Patrick Deneen (37th today) also guaranteed himself his first Olympic berth by winning the Olympic Trials in late December.
 
Canadians Alexandre Bilodeau (fourth), Philippe Marquis (sixth) and Cedric Rochon (10th) also pulled in top-ten finishes in Lake Placid.

Begg-Smith still leads in the overall standings, 143 points ahead of Bjoerlund in second and 185 points ahead of Colas in third.

The final U.S. Olympic Freestyle skiing team will be announced Jan. 26.

World Cup competition in Lake Placid continues tomorrow with an aerials night event. A World Cup ski cross race will take place on Sunday.

Images by USSA

Women’s Results

 1  4  2328513 KEARNEY Hannah  1986  USA   25.13    1000.00
 2  6  2175543 BAHRKE Shannon  1980  USA   24.96    800.00
 3  2  2364117 MCPHIE Heather  1984  USA   24.08    600.00
 4  10  2069813 ROARK Michelle  1974  USA   24.05    500.00
 5  11  2484720 DUFOUR-LAPOINTE Chloe  1991  CAN   23.99    450.00
 6  5  2175252 UEMURA Aiko  1979  JPN   23.92    400.00
 7  32  2295436 SHANLEY Laurel  1983  USA   23.52    360.00
 8  9  2175640 ROBERTSON Shelly  1979  USA   23.47    320.00
 9  3  2304360 RICHARDS Kristi  1981  CAN   23.36    290.00
 10  8  2197853 MARBLER Margarita  1975  AUT   22.22    260.00
 11  18  2476152 DUFOUR-LAPOINTE Maxime  1989  CAN   21.87    240.00
 12  15  2360722 SCANZIO Deborah  1986  ITA   21.55    220.00
 13  34  2485203 KLOSER Heidi  1992  USA   21.08    200.00
 14  22  2485019 RAKHIMOVA Regina  1985  RUS   20.91    180.00
 15  13  2329677 ROBICHAUD Audrey  1988  CAN   20.63    160.00
 16  38  2277878 SEROVA Daria  1982  RUS   19.73    150.00
 17  20  2484304 RYBALOVA Darya  1988  KAZ   18.67    140.00
 18  27  2044884 CHERKASOVA Marina  1972  RUS   18.66    130.00
 19  35  2526325 GUNCHENKO Anastassia  1991  RUS   18.51    120.00
 20  24  2419989 KAFFKA Marina  1987  GER   18.22    110.00
 21  23  2439983 RODIONOVA Yuliya  1990  KAZ   18.13    100.00
 22  16  2397097 ITO Miki  1987  JPN   18.02    90.00
 23  19  2484307 GALYSHEVA Yulia  1992  KAZ   17.64    80.00
 24  41  2484830 MURATA Arisa  1990  JPN   17.53    70.00
 25  28  2485299 SCHRIWER Martina  1988  SWE   17.53    60.00
 26  36  2413490 BOULANGEAT Alizee  1988  FRA   17.44    50.00
 27  26  2481584 MURATOVA Elena  1986  RUS   17.34    45.00
 28  43  2484925 BILODEAU Beatrice  1993  CAN   17.26    40.00
 29  30  2525906 SEO Jung-Hwa  1990  KOR   16.90    36.00
 30  37  2339668 FOERSTER Katharina  1988  GER   16.39    32.00
 31  40  2379346 HENITIUK Chelsea  1987  CAN   14.94    28.00
 32  29  2527561 LI Nan  1992  CHN   12.42    26.00
 33  17  2329386 OUTTRIM Eliza  1985  USA   6.86    24.00
 34  33  2485171 KRAUS Constanze  1990  GER   6.78    22.00
 35  31  2528046 ZHANG Tingting  1991  CHN   6.11    0.00
 36  12  2481681 STOLYAROVA Ekaterina  1988  RUS   0.72    0.00
 37  14  2266044 TORITO Emiko  1982  USA   0.00    0.0

Men’s Results

 1  3  2337049 COLAS Guilbaut  1983  FRA   26.51    1000.00
 2  1  2271961 BEGG-SMITH Dale  1985  AUS   25.95    800.00
 3  2  2406797 BJOERNLUND Jesper  1985  SWE   25.44    600.00
 4  4  2426100 BILODEAU Alexandre  1987  CAN   24.90    500.00
 5  7  2270312 MORSE Michael  1981  USA   24.89    450.00
 6  17  2484730 MARQUIS Philippe  1989  CAN   24.37    400.00
 7  15  2397776 NISHI Nobuyuki  1985  JPN   24.34    360.00
 8  5  2471302 WILSON Bryon  1988  USA   24.30    320.00
 9  8  2482457 SMYSHLYAEV Alexandr  1987  RUS   24.17    290.00
 10  42  2484677 ROCHON Cedric  1990  CAN   23.17    260.00
 11  24  2406506 SPETT Per  1985  SWE   23.12    240.00
 12  39  2354223 OCHS Pierre  1984  FRA   22.87    220.00
 13  6  2469168 REIHERD Dmitriy  1989  KAZ   22.71    200.00
 14  32  2375563 DIGRAVIO David  1986  USA   11.27    180.00
 15  36  2269924 TANNER Warren  1980  CAN   7.79    160.00
 16  19  2484727 COTA Jeremy  1988  USA   0.72    150.00
 17  47  2484861 ENDO Sho  1990  JPN   23.09    140.00
 18  10  2361498 MARQUIS Vincent  1984  CAN   22.96    130.00
 19  14  2397485 OZAKI Kai  1987  JPN   22.70    120.00
 20  50  2374205 VALINTEEV Artem  1983  RUS   22.70    110.00
 21  43  2372653 CORDEAU Shane  1986  USA   22.63    100.00
 22  25  2296600 BABIC David  1979  USA   22.59    90.00
 23  52  2484758 SLATTEN Vinjar  1990  NOR   22.54    80.00
 24  21  2484682 KIRAMO Arttu  1990  FIN   22.46    70.00
 25  44  2471011 DISCOE Joseph  1987  USA   22.38    60.00
 26  12  2369161 DOLGODVOROV Denis  1982  RUS   22.26    50.00
 27  23  2407573 VOLKOV Andrey  1986  RUS   22.14    45.00
 28  51  2471108 DISCOE Jimmy  1989  USA   22.08    40.00
 29  40  2286512 BLOECHL Gerhard  1981  GER   21.54    36.00
 30  28  2485300 GUMMESSON Adam  1989  SWE   21.47    32.00
 31  33  2312411 DAUNFELDT Olle  1983  SWE   21.46    28.00
 32  31  2414169 FRANCILLON Baptiste  1983  FRA   21.26    26.00
 33  30  2526312 ANDERSEN Tevje-Lie  1991  NOR   21.01    24.00
 34  41  2082714 RONKAINEN Mikko  1978  FIN   20.98    22.00
 35  27  2430271 KYLLOENEN Harri  1988  FIN   20.67    20.00
 36  56  2485276 NAVILLOD Mathieu  1989  FRA   20.42    19.70
 37  11  2382838 DENEEN Patrick  1987  USA   20.06    19.40
 38  13  2407670 BENNA Anthony  1987  FRA   19.99    19.10
 39  58  2318134 HALL Sam  1988  AUS   19.85    18.80
 40  18  2070783 TSUKITA Yugo  1976  JPN   19.58    18.50
 41  29  2527469 CHOI Jae-Woo  1994  KOR   19.56    18.20
 42  9  2371877 GINGRAS Maxime  1984  CAN   18.89    17.90
 43  54  2526124 SEO Myung-joon  1992  KOR   17.93    17.60
 44  53  2484301 CHO Woo-Hyun  1991  KOR   17.68    17.30
 45  37  2484309 SOKOLOV Andrey  1992  KAZ   17.16    17.00
 46  57  2439985 BARMASHOV Dmitriy  1985  KAZ   14.99    16.70
 47  45  2407185 MATIZ Giacomo  1986  ITA   14.16    16.40
 48  38  2413781 BURILLE Arnaud  1988  FRA   14.00    0.00
 49  35  2484563 BYKACHEV Pavel  1986  RUS   13.12    0.00
 50  26  2482554 VOLKOV Sergey  1987  RUS   10.63    0.00
 51  48  2396903 ANTONAKAKIS Tryfonas  1983  GRE   9.32    0.00
 52  46  2526980 STEPHENSON Bradley  1988  RSA   6.81    0.00
Did not start
     2183982 ROUSSEAU Pierre-Alexandre  1979  CAN   

Share This Article

About the Author: Eric Williams