BOKWANG, Korea, Republic Of — Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe of Comox has won gold in the women’s ski halfpipe competition at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Sharpe finished with a score of 95.80 on a cool, sunny morning at Phoenix Park.
France’s Marie Martinod took silver after crashing in her final run, guaranteeing Sharpe the top spot.
“On my first run I just really wanted to land, that’s like my biggest thing for my confidence,” said Sharpe. “If I don’t land my first run, I have a hard time coming back from that, so I just really wanted to land my run, and then after that I was like ‘OK, I want to qualify first because I want to drop last in the final’.
“Because if you do well through that, you can drop last, and it’s your victory lap. It’s the best feeling in the world. So if I can get another one of those, I mean, I’m so excited.”
American Brita Sigourney won bronze.
Sharpe was the last skier to compete in the three-run final after winning the qualifying session a day earlier.
She set the tone early in the final, getting a 94.40 in her first run down the halfpipe and following it up with a 95.80 in the second.
The best of three runs is a skier’s final score in ski halfpipe.
Calgary’s Rosalind Groenewoud finished 10th overall.
