FREESTYLE SKI, MOGULS. RUKA, FINLAND, 15 DEC 2012 - Mikael Kingsbury kicked off the 2012-13 World Cup moguls season much the same way he did during his record-tying 2011-12 season with a win in the dual moguls at Ruka, while on the ladies' side American Heather Mcphie took advantage of the absence of her countrywomen – the nearly unbeatable Hannah Kearney – to notch the second win of her career.
 
Conditions were chilly and windy as competitors went head-to-head under the lights of the Finnish resort located just below the Arctic Circle. Kingsbury, after a 'slump' at the end of last season that saw him 'only' place 2nd, 3rd, and 2nd in the final three events, again looked unbeatable on Saturday. On his way to the win he knocked off three of his Canadian teammates, including the 2010 Olympic Champion and reigning world champion Alexandre Bilodeau in an all-star finals match-up.
 
American Jeremy Cota took third over Canadian Marc-Antoine Gagnon after being relegated to the small final by Bilodeau.
 
In the ladies' event, Mcphie stepped in to do the job that her teammate Kearney did so many times last season, which was to win the moguls competition for the USA and simultaneously relegate young Canadian Justine Dufour-Lapointe to second place. Mcphie's signature D-spin air and consistent skiing helped elevate her over Dufour-Lapointe, despite the Canadian's high technical turning scores. Mcphie's win was a promising performance for an American team that doesn't expect to see Kearney return to competition until the USANA Freestyle Cup event in Lake Placid, USA, in late January.
 
Famed Japanese veteran and 2009 world champion in both dual and single moguls Aiko Uemura marked her return to competition after missing the last month of the 2011-12 season by landing on the podium in 3rd.

FISfreestyle.com
Monday 17 December 2012

Smith and Flisar take Telluride Ski-Cross

TELLURIDE, USA, 13 DEC 2012 – Under a brilliant blue Colorado sky on a course in perfect conditions, the best SX racers in the world put on a remarkable show on Thursday. With incredibly tight heats, stunning passing, and several photo finishes, the Telluride stop on the Audi FIS ski cross World Cup circuit was one of the most exciting in recent memory. And on a course that demanded a racer excel in every skill, from the instant the gate dropped to last 1/100th of a second before the finish line, it seemed fitting that Fanny Smith (SUI) and Filip Flisar (SLO) – arguably the two best ski cross racers in the world right now – found themselves on top of the podium.
 
Flisar – the third ranked skier after qualifications - looked strong from the get-go today, though he wasn't entirely dominant through his elimination, quarter, and semi-final heats. Rather, it was Wednesday's top qualifier, Canadian Brady Leman, who appeared to be destined for the win, using the top-seeding after qualification and powerful starts to win his first two heats and come second in his semi-final heat only after a photo-finish showed Swiss skier Armin Niederer to have edged him by a glove.
 
Niederer would go on join Leman and Flisar in the final along with the impressive Frenchman Jean Frederic Chapuis, with the four together creating something of a perfect storm – likely the four best men's ski cross racers in the world going head-to-head in a single heat.
 
And the men did not disappoint. As he had all day, Leman took the early lead, but a slight mistake near the top opened the door for Flisar, who shot to the front. With all four skiers bunched tightly through the mid-section of the course, canny maneuvering by Flisar kept Leman behind, where the Canadian was forced into a back-and-forth battle with Niederer. Coming over the final jump it appeared Flisar made a mistake on take-off that might allow either Niederer or Leman to sneak by in a drag race to the finish, but somehow the charismatic Slovenian held off the other two skiers in a three-way photo finish that saw Leman return the favour to Niederer and claim 2nd-place by a finger.
 
“Hey, no problems,” a champagne-drenched Flisar joked from the finish, using a phrase that is becoming a personal signature much like his moustache, “Just casual. Keeping it casual.”
 
“I thought I had him, but I cased a little bit up top there and let him through,” remarked a slightly more serious Brady Leman as he looked back on what happened on a day when he seemed nearly unstoppable, “It was a good race though. I've never been in a final like that, where it's all the top guys. It was tough.”
 
On the ladies' side, winner Fanny Smith has had a start to the 2012-13 season that can only be described as remarkable. Through two races, Smith has been the top woman in every heat except for one – Wednesday's qualification. After almost a year off due to reconstructive knee surgery, the 20 year old Swiss is skiing with the kind of power and confidence that has to have every one of her competitors wondering how she can be stopped.
 
No where was this on better display than in Thursday's final heat. French legend Ophelie David appeared to get the jump ou of the start gate, as she had done all day, and looked set to mimic Smith's performance from last week, when Fanny lead from qualification to final.
 
However, somehow, almost like she was dealing with a different set of physics than the rest of the field, Smith easily reeled David in and began pulling away from the pack. By the time she crossed the finish line she was so confident in her win that her arms were already in the air, with David, 3rd-place finisher Anna Holmlund (SWE) and 4th-place racer Kelsey Serwa (CAN) all spread out safely behind her. It was a truly dominant performance, and one that solidifies Smith's status as the current 'girl-to-beat' on the ladies SX circuit.
 
With both the World Cup ski cross and snowboard cross tours in Telluride for events just one day apart, it was a hectic week in the world of FIS Freestyle. However, on Thursday, everything came together perfectly, and the ski racing world was treated to phenomenal day of competition.

FISfreestyle.com
Friday 14 December 2012

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