Australian aerial skier Danielle Scott has broken through for her first World Cup triumph in nearly three years in a timely boost to her medal hopes at next month’s Winter Olympics.
The 35-year-old three-time Olympian has had a particularly lean run this season but put her woes behind her with a morale-boosting triumph at Lake Placid in the United States less than a month before the start of the Games in Italy.
Scott scored 95.88 points in the super final to take top spot ahead of China’s reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtai, who scored 94.01.Â
America’s 2025 world champion, Kaila Kuhn, was third with 92.29.
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Laura Peel, who won the last World Cup event in Canada, was unable to stick her landing and finished sixth, while fellow Australian Airleigh Frigo was seventh.
“I’m just letting this sink in. I’ve had a rough run this season,” said Scott, with the victory her first in a World Cup event since March 2023 and the seventh of her career.
“A lot of highs and lows … today I just needed to go prove myself, and I did that, so I’m stoked.”
Danielle Scott won her first World Cup event since March 2023. (Getty Images: Al Bello)
With four out of six skiers in the medal round attempting triples, Scott’s choice of a back double full-full proved a smart decision after assessing the tricky conditions of the day.
“I was hoping to do triples, and we made some hard decisions and decided to keep it on the double. I think it paid off,” she said.
“I want to do them, so let’s get Mother Nature on our side.”
In the men’s competition, China’s Wang Xindi opted to go with five twists.
Despite the conditions, he was rewarded with a win.
With landings proving to be challenging for many athletes, his back double full-full-double full earned a 103.50 and his first World Cup win of the season.
Competitors will line up for another World Cup at Lake Placid on Monday (local time) to wrap up their preparation for the Milan-Cortina Games, which start on February 6.
AAP