Cassie Sharpe of Comox qualified with the best score in the ladies’ ski halfpipe Monday. Photo courtesy Canadian Olympic Team/Vincent Ethier/COC.
A Vancouver Island athlete goes for gold at the PyeongChang Olympics with the best qualifying score in the ladies’ ski halfpipe.
Twenty-five-year-old Cassie Sharpe of Comox recorded a top score of 93.40 on her second run in qualification Monday in South Korea.
Sharpe’s first run scored a 93.00 and would have also earned her top marks of the 12 competitors that advanced to the final.
Marie Martinod of France qualified second with a score of 92.00.
Canada has two skiers in the final, with Rosalind Groenewoud of Calgary finishing eleventh overall and is competing with a broken arm.
The first of three final runs begins Monday at 5:30 p.m. PT.
SPENCER O’BRIEN QUALIFIES FOR THE FINAL IN LADIES’ BIG AIR
Alert Bay’s Spencer O’Brien will also jump for a medal later in the week.
O’Brien qualified eleventh in the ladies’ snowboarding big air competition.
Alert Bay’s Spencer O’Brien (left), with Laurie Blouin. Both have qualified for the ladies’ snowboarding big air final that begins at 4:30 p.m. PT Thursday. Photo courtesy Twitter/Team Canada.
After a score of 69.50 in her first jump, O’Brien posted a mark of 76.75 in her second attempt, advancing to the final by 2.50 points.
O’Brien is one of two Canadians to qualify for the final.
Laurie Blouin of Stoneham, QC, finished fourth in the qualifying round.
The big air final starts at 4:30 p.m. PT Thursday.
Andy Neal
