Olympic Freestyle Skiing 2014: Women's Slopestyle Qualifying Results

The early action in Day 4 of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi included the women’s slope style qualifying runs for freestyle skiing.

American Keri Herman, who is on the short list of medal hopefuls, was definitely excited for the event to get underway.

Some bad news that came down the pipe before the event even started was the fact that Maggie Voisin and Tiril S. Christiansen had to pull out of the event.

At 15-years-old, Voison was set to be the youngest U.S. Olympian since 1972.

Unfortunately for the competitors, the injuries are par for the course.

The Cliff notes for the qualifying runs is that every competitor has the chance to ski two times, and the top 12 individual run scores advance to the final. The fact that there are two runs provides a bit of leeway in case of a poor run on the first attempt.

Herman was one such skier who struggled in her first try and stumbled on the landing of a jump, which put the pressure on for her second run in qualifying.

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press
Like the excellent Olympic athlete that she is, Herman came through in the clutch. Her second run was good enough to qualify for the finals, which is all she could ask for in the qualifying process.

Another skier who struggled on her first qualifying attempt was Lisa Zimmermann of Germany, who was the World Cup standings leader heading into the Olympics. She fell on her first run, which put one of the heavy favorites behind the proverbial eight-ball in the early going.

Unlike Herman, Zimmermann did not come through when it was most needed on the second run, failing to clinch a spot in the finals. It was certainly a disappointment for such a talented skier.

Elsewhere, Camilla Berra of Switzerland landed a double front flip in her first run, which gave her the early lead, but Dara Howell of Canada, who used to be a figure skater, became the first to receive a score better than 80 and showed her appreciation to the crowd.

Anna Segal of Australia proved that the Land Down Under can produce winter athletes as well as summer athletes by clinching a spot in the finals. She has a history of success under her belt.

eenager Julia Krass of the United States was fired up to have the chance to compete at the Olympic level and will also compete in the finals.

Perhaps most alarming in the qualifying runs was the nasty spill for Canadian Kaya Turski, which was made even worse because of her recent health issues.

She was certainly one of the favorites heading into the event and needed to come through in the second run to remain in the competition. With the knee clearly posing a problem, she was not able to do so, which eliminated another serious contender and making it anyone's game in the finals.

Here is what the top 12 looked like after the qualifying runs:

Olympic Freestyle Skiing: Women's Slopestyle Qualifying Leaderboard
Place Name                   Country                        Best Score
1 Dara Howell                   Canada                           88.8
2 Kim Lamarre                   Canada                           85.4
3 Katie Summerhayes           Great Britain                   84
4 Yuki Tsubota                   Canada                           81
5 Devin Logan                   United States                   80.4
6 Emma Dahlstrom           Sweden                           79.2
7 Anna Segal                   Australia                           78.8
8 Julia Krass                   United States                   78.4
9 Eveline Bhend                   Switzerland                   77.2
10 Camillia Berra                   Switzerland                   74.8
11 Keri Herman                   United States                   72.4
12 Silvia Bertagna                   Italy                           70.6
NBCOlympics.com



With the qualifying runs in the rear view mirror, it’s time for the freestyle skiing world to turn its attention to the finals. Here is a schedule for the event with broadcast information:

Women’s Ski Slopestyle Final
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 11
Time: 4 a.m. ET, 1 p.m. Sochi time and 9 a.m. GMT
Broadcast Information: Live stream at NBCOlympics.com at 4 a.m. ET, NBC at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET (rebroadcast) and BBC at 9 a.m. GMT

Who are the medal favorites? Let’s dig into a discussion on some names to watch in the finals.

Who to Watch For in Finals:
Dara Howell, Canada
Keri Herman, United States


While the qualifying runs were certainly exciting, medals will be handed out in the finals, which is the ultimate goal for every Olympian.

One of the serious contenders for the gold is Howell of Canada, who finished second in the World Ski Championships in slopestyle and third at the 2013 Winter X Games.

What’s more, she finished in second place at the U.S. freestyle championships in Vermont and found the podium in slopestyle at the New Zealand Winter Games.

The Canadian freestyle skiing team has already seen gold and silver in the men’s moguls from Alex Bilodeau and Mikael Kingsbury respectively, so don’t be surprised if Howell adds to the success.

American Herman may represent Uncle Sam’s best shot at the podium in this event, thanks to her impressive resume that includes a silver medal in the 2010 Winter X Games, a silver medal in the 2010 Euro Winter X Games, the second overall spot in the 2010 AFP rankings, a silver medal in the 2011 Winter X Games and a victory in the opening Olympic qualifying period slopestyle World Cup in Argentina in 2013.

Herman also has a number of other top finishes under her belt and became the first woman from the United States to take home the World Cup slopestyle title.

One competitor that the North Americans won't have to worry about now is Zimmermann from Germany, who was on the short list of favorites for the podium.

She is notable because, at such a young age she became the first female to land a double-cork 1260 in any competition, which caught the eye of fellow skier Turski, whose quotes were relayed by Megan Michelson of ESPN.com:

It's very impressive. Lisa is probably the only [woman] that can do the dub 12, which is huge... It definitely makes all of us think a little bit about what we need to be doing. It pushes me to work on what I'm doing.

Unfortunately for freestyle fans, the double-cork 1260 will not make an appearance in the finals.

Whoever brings home the gold, it is certainly set to be an exciting final. Make sure to tune in.

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Jamie Anderson Completes Rise to Snowboarding Superstardom with Slopestyle Gold

The debut of snowboarding slopestyle at the Winter Olympics turned out to be an all-American affair.

A day after Sage Kotsenburg shocked the world with his gold in the men's competition, his compatriot, Jamie Anderson, rode her way to victory for the women, giving Team USA an event sweep.


Like Kotsenburg, Anderson is laid-back, fun-loving and very popular among her peers. Unlike Kotsenburg, her victory wasn't a surprise—she was the favorite to top the podium.

In fact, the 23-year-old Anderson has been the face of her sport for years, and with four golds from the X Games and 20 top-two finishes in her last 24 events, this was very much her event to lose.

Even though she's young, her Olympic debut has been a long time coming.

Anderson has loved the Games since she was a kid, though according to a Q&A from NBCOlympics.com, it was gymnastics that first drew her in. She got into snowboarding after receiving a hand-me-down board from her older sister and never thought she would turn pro. But once she did, the Olympic dream loomed large again.

Andy Wong/Associated Press
Anderson tried to qualify for the team in 2010 in halfpipe, but she didn't make it. Rachel Axon of USA Today reports that she went to the Vancouver Olympics anyway, just as a spectator, and had the time of her life. This year, with her signature event slopestyle in the competition for the first time, it was her time to shine.

After a dominating season on the circuit, she finally was able to book her trip to Sochi—this time as a competitor and gold-medal favorite.

Still, the self-proclaimed hippie who has a passion for saving the environment has trouble reconciling the sports she loves with the bad things the Olympics stand for. She talked about this struggle with Devon O'Neil of ESPN X Games prior to the Games:

I've always been so excited to go to the Olympics, and it's a little sad that now it's finally happening and there's so much negative stuff going on in Russia between the terrorist attacks, the gay law and all the craziness. I want to compete in the Olympics, but I also want them to respect the environment, the athletes, everything -- and not make it all about McDonald's.

But despite her reservations, Anderson was able to shut out all of the negativity and noise surrounding the Games and simply focus on what she does best: effortlessly powerful and creative snowboarding.

Staying focused and zen is something that's a high priority for Anderson, who is famous for hugging a tree and meditating before each competition. She keeps centered through yoga, reflection and positive thinking. And when all else fails, the fifth-oldest child of eight siblings calls her mother for some perspective.

She talked to Natalie Langmann of Huck magazine about this practice back in 2012:

If it’s not fun, I’m not doing it. If I ever do find myself complaining, I make a little gratitude list and call my mom – who runs her own lawn care business in South Lake Tahoe. She’s a huge inspiration and her high spirit puts me in a good place. Sometimes I do get a little stressed and overwhelmed, so I tell myself to stay in a joyful place.

Headed into the second run of the slopestyle final, Anderson was out of medal contention, so she knew she needed to pull out something spectacular. When she landed two 720s in a row to score a 95.25, there was nothing but joy emitting from her.

With that, she leapt to her usual spot atop the leaderboard above silver medalist Enni Rukajarvi from Finland and bronze medalist Jenny Jones from Great Britain. Once every rider had completed her run, she knew she had successfully captured the gold.

To celebrate, Anderson hugged her coach and her competitors and then went to find her family. Along with her parents, six of her seven siblings made the trip to Sochi, per Axon.


After basking in the glow for a few minutes, she made her way over to talk to the media.

Anderson has been a formidable force in the snowboarding community since she made the X Games podium when she was only 15, but now that she's had her Olympic moment, her celebrity status is about to skyrocket.

In the history books, Jamie Anderson will forever be the first female Olympic snowboarding slopestyle champion. It might not have been a surprise, but that doesn't make the victory any less sweet.

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2014 Olympic Skiing: Preview and Predictions for Women's Ski Slopestyle

Get ready to witness history!
Freestyle skiing has gained quite a bit of traction in the last few Winter Games, and Sochi will be the first-ever Winter Olympics to award medals for the woman's slopestyle competition.

What is slopestyle?
It's a freestyle event, in both skiing and snowboarding, where the objective is to perform the most difficult aerial tricks while getting the most height off the course. The event rewards variety, rather than doing a single trick repeatedly, and has been a staple of—and one of the most popular events in—the X Games for years.

At Sochi 2014, the first women’s gold, silver and bronze medalists in these events will be crowned. This is your complete preview and predictions guide for the historic women's ski slopestyle competition.


You're going to need to be a night owl on the East Coast in order to catch the live action of the women's slopestyle qualification and medal rounds. The good news is that they are only separated by 95 minutes, and you'll get a chance to witness history if you do decide to stay up.


February 11
1 a.m. ET, Qualifying
4 a.m. ET, Medal Round
Live streams will be available at NBCOlympics.com.
Tape-delayed TV schedules can be found at NBCOlympics.com/TV-Listings.

Its been a long road.
The 2014 Sochi Games will be the first Winter Olympics to feature a women's slopestyle freestyle skiing event. That's right, a competition long-relegated to the X Games has finally become mainstream and burst onto the biggest of international stages.

This event is among the most thrilling you'll get to see in Sochi, combining speed, skill, athleticism and steely nerve in order to perform tricks that will oftentimes require you to pick your jaw up off the floor.

The short answer, then, is the way we got here wasn't easy, but for the athletes who will be attempting to become the first woman to wear that Olympic gold, the road was certainly worth it.


Will It Be a Hit?
Slopestyle has been around for a while now—it can be found in both freestyle skiing and snowboarding—but until it's inclusion in the Sochi Games, it was largely consigned to X Games competitions. For fans of the sport, the excitement, daredevil-like stunts and pure athleticism that will be showcased, making it a huge addition to the 2014 Games.

But the big question remains, will it be a hit with the masses, or will slopestyle remain a niche sport?

It's hard to see how people could help being awed by some of the stunts and tricks they'll see over the next few weeks, but in a spectacle built on tradition and pageantry, slopestyle might have a hard time breaking through.


Can Anyone Stop Kaya Turski?
If you've never seen Canadian Kaya Turski perform, drop what you're doing, find your nearest computer and get yourself onto YouTube. This girl can do some things on skis that will make your jaw drop, fall to the floor and scurry away with you chasing after it.

She's already a legend in the world of slopestyle and rarely loses a competition. But she'll be looking to break out in Sochi, capture that first-ever gold medal and become a star to more than just the audience she's been playing to for years.


Do the Americans Have Any Hope?
The United States team, and the event in general, received a huge blow this past week when it was announced that Maggie Voisin, the youngest U.S. Olympian in Sochi, would miss the Games due to an ankle injury, per The Associated Press (h/t The Huffington Post).

The 15-year-old from Whitefish, Mont. was injured during training runs on Friday, and her doctors determined that she would not sufficiently heal in time for Tuesday's event.

Without her, the American team is down to Keri Herman—a decorated slopestyle skier who has two silver, but no gold medals in X Games competition—Devin Logan, who captured silver at the 2012 X Games in Aspen and Julia Krass.

A medal is a possibility to the American ladies, but it won't be easy.


The only real answer to this question is, can anyone beat Kaya Turski? She's the overwhelming favorite to walk away from this event with the gold medal, and it'll take a special performance from one of the other women to deny her that historic medal.

Keri Herman
Herman is likely the American women's best shot to reach the podium in this event. She won the 2013 Copper Mountain Grand Prix and has four silver medals in X Games competitions to her name. Two of those came in the United States and two came in Europe, so she's definitely got some experience on an international stage.

Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen
Christiansen is one of the few women who have defeated Turski in a major competition. She unseated her in the slopestyle event at the 2013 X Games held in Aspen, Colo. That alone gives her a major edge over any of her competitors.

Dara Howell
Howell, like Turski, is a Canadian with an excellent shot at medaling in this event. She's captured three bronze medals in the X Games, and she came in just behind both Turski and Christiansen in Aspen last year.


Kaya Turski is the overwhelming favorite in this event, and with good reason.
The one hitch in her plans could turn out to be her left knee. The ACL in her knee was surgically repaired in late September 2013—the second reconstruction on her left knee and third overall—and it was only thanks to a revolutionary procedure that she was able to get back on skis as fast as she did.

She made her return in January at the U.S. Grand Prix of Freeskiing and placed third—narrowly behind Devin Logan and Dara Howell—showing that she still has what it takes to compete at a high-enough level to win gold in Sochi.

That was her first race back post-surgery, and if it's any indication, she remains the favorite to take home gold in Sochi. After all, she's only going to keep getting stronger and closer to the form that led her to dominate the sport these last several years.


This is Kaya Turski's moment. She's worked for it and she's earned it. After dominating the X Games for years, this will be her shining Olympic moment.

Expect her to be pushed, hard, by a talented field, and especially her by rival Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen and compatriot Dara Howell. They'll do enough to join her on the podium, but they'll have to settle for silver and bronze.

Gold: Kaya Turski (CAN)
Silver: Tiril Sjaastad Christiansen (NOR)
Bronze: Dara Howell (CAN)

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Women's Snowboarding Slopestyle Olympics 2014: Medal Winners and Final Results

USA's Jamie Anderson took gold in the Women's Snowboarding Slopestyle in the first ever event in this format.

Enni Rukajarvi was placed in silver position after two runs on the slopes, with Great Britain's Jenny Jones grabbing all of the headlines.

Jones, who has taken her first ever Olympic medal, also earned her country's first 2014 Winter Olympic medal with bronze, in event that had twists, turns and plenty of tumbles at every slope.

Ollie Williams of Frontier Sports, reporting on the Games for the BBC, capped his feelings as Jones picked up bronze, tweeting:


2014 Winter Olympics Women's Snowboarding Slopestyle
Rank Competitor (Country) Run 1 Score Run 2 Score Best Score
1 Jamie ANDERSON (USA) 80.75 95.25 95.25
2 Enni RUKAJARVI (Finland) 73.75 92.50 92.50
3 Jenny JONES (Great Britain) 73.00 87.25 87.25
4 Sina CANDRIAN (Switzerland) 7.25 87.00 87.00
5 Sarka PANCOCHOVA (Czech Republic) 86.25 20.00 86.25
6 Karly SHORR (USA) 39.00 75.00 75.00
7 Torah BRIGHT (Australia) 64.75 66.25 66.25
8 Isabel DERUNGS (Switzerland) 58.50 15.25 58.50
9 Elena KOENZ (Switzerland) 24.50 54.50 54.50
10 Anna GASSER (Austria) 49.00 51.75 51.75
11 Silje NORENDAL (Norway) 49.50 32.00 49.50
12 Spencer O'BRIEN (Canada) 30.00 35.00 35.00


The first run proved fruitful for Czech Republic's Sarka Pancochova, who sat top of the rankings after her first run score of 86.25, with USA's Jamie Anderson continuing her fine form in this year's Winter Games with a fine score of 80.75 - leapfrogging Switzerland's Sina Candrian and Finland's Enni Rukajarvi in third and fourth respectively.

Great Britain's Jenny Jones then scored 73.00 on her first run; a good score from the 33-year-old, who is still searching for her first Olympic medal.

Francis Keogh of BBC tweeted of Jones' chances to make history for her country on snow in the Winter Olympics:


Elena Koenz of Switzerland was left to languish at the bottom of the table with 24.50, after a tumble saw her lose her chance at sitting at the upper echelons of the grid after the first run, along with Canadian Spencer O'Brien and USA's Karly Shorr, who made up the bottom three.

Crowds surrounded the slopes as the final run was set to get underway; plenty of new fans to the new format at the Winter Olympics.

Norway's Silje Norendal began the final run with a score of 32, which held her position in the middle of the final ladder and out of challenging position for any medals, followed by Jenny Jones, whose run showed pace and passion as she looked to breach the top-five.

Her mammoth score of 87.25 sparked jubilant celebrations from Jones and her onlooking British fans, with tally that looked set to place her with at least a bronze medal at the end of the event, but also within an excellent chance of taking top spot.

However, it looks a short-lived victory for Candrian, looked to have grabbed her board on two occasions to seal a big score, but was awarded just 87, keeping Jones at the summit of the leaderboard with the chasing pack all yet to run.

Drama then unfolded as Pancochova barrel-rolled down the slopes, with fear amongst commentators that the catapult of snow had left her with a concussion, but thankfully, she rose to her feet to walk from the track.

CBC Olympics correspondent Kate Pettersen captured the moment of Pancochova's fall, noting the importance of wearing headgear in this event, tweeting:

This fall ended any chance of re-claiming top-spot for Sarka, who was awarded just 20 by the judges, however her first run could still see her placed with a bronze medal at Sochi, but ultimately, her health still intact, as highlighted through Buzzfeed UK's Alan White's Vine and Agence France-Presse's tweet:


Top-spot then had a new occupant, following Rukajarvi's second run, as she scored 92.50 to push Jones and Candrian back into second and third respectively, and ended Pancochova's slim hopes of leaving this event with a medal.

USA's Karly Shorr returned to the slopes with two grabs and perfectly-executed landings showing her air of confidence in the new format; however could do only score 75 to leave her 10 points short of a medal birth.

O'Brien's second run proved as fruitful as her first, scoring 35 to keep her at the foot of the table, with last-placed Koenz returning to the slopes to find 54.5.

Norway's Norendal then failed to improve on her opening score of 49.5, leaving her also to be content with a mid-table finish as four competitors remained, but still all to play for at the top of the ladder.

Then came a second run for Australia's Torah Bright, who improved on her opening score with 66.25, but ended her chances of a medal in this event.

Jamie Anderson landed a beautiful, technical run with aplomb as she looked to break into the top three, in a run that oozed experience and confidence from the offset. And with a tally of 95.25, Anderson had done enough to take the lead at the late, late stage in proceedings.

Jones still sat in third place, as Great Britain looked for their first ever Winter Olympic medal, and as Switzerland's Isabel Derungs hit 58.50, leaving her in the lower-half of the final standings.

Williams  provided a statement from Jones' teammate, Aimee Fuller, discussing the historical importance:

With one ride to go from Austria's Anna Gasser, it looked likely that Anderson would take gold, and Jones would make her own history in Sochi. These feats were then realised as Gasser slipped onto her backside during the run, sealing a momentous performance for British snowboarding.

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Olympic Snowboarding 2014: Men's Slopestyle Semifinals Results and Scores

Day 1 action for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, got off to a great start with the semifinals for men's snowboard slopestyle.
Only four spots for the final were up for grabs, as eight riders had previously booked their places during Thursday's qualification. That meant there was a ton of pressure heaped upon the 21 participants. With the tiniest slip-up, their Olympic dreams could go up in flames.
This is the first year in which snowboard slopestyle is an Olympic event, so those who don't regularly watch the Winter X Games were treated to new stars in what is an exciting event.
Here are the results from the semifinals of Saturday's snowboard slopestyle at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Results Pos. Name Nation Score Qualified 1 Billy Morgan Great Britain 90.75 Q 2 Sage Kotsenburg United States 90.50 Q 3 Mark McMorris Canada 89.25 Q 4 Yuki Kadono Japan 84.75 Q 5 Seppe Smits Belgium 84.50 6 Ryan Stassel United States 83.25 7 Chas Guldemond United States 79.25 8 Scotty James Australia 77.25 9 Seamus O'Connor Ireland 70.25 10 Janne Korpi Finland 68.50 11 Jan Scherrer Switzerland 64.25 12 Alexey Sobolev Russia 57.50 13 Emil Andre Ulsletten Norway 56.75 14 Charles Reid Canada 46.25 15 Niklas Mattsson Sweden 44.75 16 Torgeir Bergrem Norway 37.50 17 Clemens Schattschneider Austria 29.50 18 Mathias Weissenbacher Austria 28.50 19 Ville Paumola Finland 25.25 20 Lucien Koch Switzerland 20.75 21 Adrian Krainer Austria DNS NBCOlympics.com

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