Snowboarding

Clark Wins Olympic Test Event

by
USSA
2017-02-19 09:22
 

BOKWANG PHOENIX PARK, South Korea (Feb. 19, 2017) – Kelly Clark (West Dover, VT) celebrated her second-consecutive World Cup triumph with a win at the official test event for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. Shaun White (Carlsbad, CA) also hit his second podium of the year, with a second-place finish at the final World Cup halfpipe event of the year. Chloe Kim (Torrance, CA), who won the first two World Cup events of the season, claimed the crystal globe award as the overall FIS tour winner.

Clark, who is a four-time Olympian and three-time medalist (one gold, two bronze), won the official Olympic test event for the fourth consecutive time after also earning the top spot at Bardonecchia, Italy in 2005, Cypress Mountain, Canada in 2009 and Sochi, Russia in 2013. Clark edged Chinese riders Jiayu Liu and Xuetong Cai who finished second and third respectively.


Kelly Clark stands atop the podium in PyeongChang. (Getty Images-Han Myung-Gu)

“I’m thankful to put down the run I did today,” Clark said after the event. “I’m stoked on my snowboarding and even more stoked to end up on top of the podium.”

Kim finished fourth on Saturday, while Maddie Mastro (Wrightwood, CA) also made the final, finishing sixth.


Shaun White rides in front of the crowd at Bokwang Phoenix Park. (Getty Images-Han Myung-Gu)

On the men’s side, White was leading the event until the third and final run, when Scotty James of Australia put down a run that edged the the two-time Olympic gold medalist from Southern California. China’s Yiwei Zhang took the final podium spot with third.

Ben Ferguson (Bend, OR) and Greg Bretz (Mammoth Lakes, CA) both barely missed the podium, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Chase Josey (Hailey, ID) was sixth and Matt Ladley (Steamboat Springs, CO) was seventh.  


Chloe Kim won the FIS crystal globe, taking the overall World Cup title. (Getty Images/AFP-Jung Yeon-Je) 

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The final stop of the FIS World Cup halfpipe tour was also the official Olympic test event for the 2018 Olympic Games.
  • Kelly Clark won for the women. It was her 13th career World Cup win and fourth Olympic test event win. Her run scored 94.00: frontside air, backside air, frontside 1080 indy, corked Cab 720, crippler indy.
  • Shaun White was second for the men. His run scored 95.00: backside air, frontside double cork 1080, Cab double cork 1080, frontside 900, backside double cork 1260.
  • Chloe Kim was fourth. She claimed the overall tour win, earning the crystal globe.


Shaun White stands with his second-place medal. (Getty Images-Han Myung-Gu)

QUOTES

Kelly Clark – First Place, Women
This is a huge step for me in my process just coming back from my hip surgery to get my riding back to a really high level. Since last week, I finally feel that I’m back to where I was before I got injured. I have hoped that I can build. It’s awesome to be at a test event knowing that I have a whole year to progess.

I’m thankful to put down the run I did today, and I’m stoked on my snowboarding and even more stoked to end up on top of the podium.

In practice I did some cleaner runs. In my first run, I landed flat a couple of times and under-rotated a few things. It was good to get one under my belt but I knew I could do it cleaner. That was my whole approach: land higher on those walls, hang under those grabs longer because I know that execution is important at those events. That was what I really was trying to do.

Shaun White – Second Place, Men
It’s extremely disappointing. I absolutely came here to win and do my thing. It was a great test run for the Olympics. Yeah, I think (the) lesson is learned.

The truth is…I am really tired. By the time I got to my last hit my back leg kinda gave out. So, I’m just disappointed in myself.

RESULTS
Men’s halfpipe
Women’s halfpipe

 

 

 


 


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