Monday, January 19, 2015
Kreischberg, Austria — Veteran American mogul skiing star Hannah Kearney powered her way to a silver medal Sunday at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships, finishing behind only Canadian rival Justine Dufour-Lapointe in the first of two days of bump-running action.
The medal was the Norwich native and Hanover High School graduate’s seventh at worlds during an 11-year career she plans on ending at the conclusion of the World Cup campaign.
From qualifications through the finals rounds, Kearney improved every run — but Dufour-Lapointe was there to respond.
“Today, my last run was my best run,” Kearney said in a U.S. Skiing news release. “I made the improvements I wanted, but Justine beat me. And that happens — that’s moguls skiing. That’s why competition is fun, and I’m glad we’ll get to ski again tomorrow.”
Dufour-Lapointe and Kearney finished 1-2 at all three levels of Sunday’s competition.
The Canadian scored 86.21 points with her qualification run, about a point and a half ahead of Kearney (84.70). The three-time defending World Cup champion, Kearney (82.58) cut the gap a little on Dufour-Lapointe (83.19) in the 18-skier first final, but her rival saved her best for last with an 87.25 run in the second final. Kearney also had her best run of the day the third time down the mountain (85.66), but it wasn’t enough.
Competitors return to Kreschberg today for duals.
“Duals is a time for speed, and I wasn’t the fastest skier down the course today,” Kearney noted. “What was good about today was that I made the improvements I was thinking about each run. I’ll look at video tonight and come up with a plan.”
Sunday’s medal tied Kearney with Norway’s Kari Traa for the most medals by a woman at worlds. She won the world title in 2005 and again in 2013.
Krass Invited to X Games
Aspen, Colo. — Hanover’s Julia Krass will get her first career shot at X Games honors when she participates in his week’s winter games in the Rockies.
Krass wasn’t an automatic qualifier for the annual action sports fest, but recently received an invitation to join in what will be an eight-competitor field in women’s ski slopestyle. The event will begin Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
A member of last fall’s Hanover High state championship girls soccer team, Krass was a late addition to the U.S. Olympic team for last February’s games in Sochi, Russia. Krass finished 11th in the inaugural women’s ski slopestyle. She opened her last month by placing third at a Dew Tour slopestyle in Breckenridge, Colo.