PARK CITY, UT (Jan. 9) – Defending Olympic champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) celebrated her 100th World Cup start with a victory at the Visa Freestyle International FIS World Cup Thursday at Deer Valley. It was Kearney’s sixth career win at Deer Valley, and she edged passed Canadian sisters Chloe Dufour-Lapointe and Justine Dufour-Lapointe, who finished second and third on the steep and windy 2002 Olympic venue. The athletes will head back up to the hill for a second moguls competition on Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Defending Olympic champion Hannah Kearney (Norwich, VT) celebrated her 100th World Cup start with a victory at the Visa Freestyle International FIS World Cup Thursday at Deer Valley.
- Kearney led throughout each round of competition. It was her second win of the season as well as her 38th career win and sixth win at Deer Valley.
- Canadian sisters Chloe Dufour-Lapointe and Justine Dufour-Lapointe finished second and third on the steep 2002 Olympic venue. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, also qualified for the second final, finishing fifth.
- Heather McPhie (Bozeman, MT) took fourth, one year after taking second the 2013 U.S. podium sweep.
- Snow dominated the qualifications for much of the day and then clearing skies brought swirling winds for the finals, making it difficult for the athletes to keep their speed in the jumps.
- Kearney met the Olympic team qualification criteria last week with her second FIS World Cup podium in Calgary. The rest of the U.S. women have three chances to seal their two required podiums for qualification.
- A live stream in partnership with Universal Sports on www.usskiteam.com let’s you catch all the action from the Visa Freestyle International.
- Also, NBC and NBCSN will provide next-day television coverage of the weekend’s events starting Friday, Jan. 10 at 10:00 p.m. EST. Click here for a full broadcast schedule.
- The high flying aerials action kicks off Friday night and then the athletes will head back up the hill for a second moguls competition on Saturday.
QUOTES
Hannah Kearney
It feels really good to be rewarded by the judges for pushing myself. I felt a little bit out of control, but they didn't punish me too much and that's a nice thing because I need to charge. It felt good to pull it together and have the maturity to feel out of control, then pull it together and handle the bottom air well. I love this course and I love once you've figured out the course, it makes the second competition less stressful. You sort of feel more confident already.
The qualification pressure is off for the Olympics, but I put pressure on myself for every event so it doesn't remove the individual pressure to perform. I'm learning from all these events about what I need to do, but just being in the start gate is the best way to prepare. The uniforms were unveiled yesterday. I love them, and now I've just got Olympic fever.
Heather McPhie
Fourth is always a little rough, but it's my best result of the season. I'm right on track with what I'm working on. I just have to believe it's going to happen. I just have to get a little faster. I love this course. I'm so psyched we get to compete here twice.
I'm out here to do what I love and I'm so passionate about jumping. I really want to do something different and show that it's possible to do it. In Calgary, I competed back full and D spin, got the highest air scores of the competition and was right in there for speed. I'm knocking on the door and I'm excited about what I'm doing.
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