Where to Ski And Snowboard - Cheshire wins ski halfpipe gold

Cheshire wins ski halfpipe gold

6th January 2014, by Abi Butcher

Rowan Cheshire won ski halfpipe gold at a World Cup event in Calgary

Just a month ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics, freeskier Rowan Cheshire has won gold in a halfpipe FIS World Cup event in Calgary. The 18-year-old freeskier is the first ever British woman to win the event on 2 January, a qualifying result for this year’s Games.

Cheshire delivered a fantastic first run scoring 80.40 points, sealing her gold. She produced huge amplitude throughout the run and an impressive 540 to flair to 900 trick combination.

She said: “I am over the moon with my win; it puts me in a good place to qualify for the Games. I had a bit of a bad crash in practice, but I tried to pull it together in the comp even though my heart was racing, and I’m so glad I was able to do that and get my run down how I wanted to. I think it was my 900, the cleanliness of my run and the amplitude which sealed it for me.”

Team GB coach Pat Sharples added: “In training we have been working hard with Rowan on new tricks and we knew she had the potential to podium. She is so dedicated and all the hard work has now paid off with this win.”

Rowan Cheshire is the first ever British female to win a ski halfpipe World Cup event, and now both she and teammate Emma Lonsdale — who finished tenth in the same competition — have met Olympic Qualifying Standards in the discipline. They will learn whether they have won a place for Sochi on 22 January.