Aimee just took place in one of the most progressive women’s snowboarding events of all time. Aimee couldn’t stick her double underflip in Olympic Big Air qualifiers, which she had been doing in practice but still mixed it with the best of them. We now look forward to the ladies’ final of the ski halfpipe. Rowan Cheshire qualifies for finals of ski halfpipe in 9th place with two solid, clean runs.
Today’s events
Snowboard: Ladies’ Big Air Qualifying
Freestyle Skiing: Ladies’ Halfpipe Qualifying
Tomorrow’s events
Freestyle Skiing: Ladies’ Halfpipe Final
Freestyle Skiing: Men’s Halfpipe Qualifying
DAY 10 WRAP
FREESTYLE SKIING: LADIES’ HALFPIPE at Phoenix Snow Park
Team GB Results (Qualifying): Rowan Cheshire 9th, Molly Summerhayes 17th
Four years after what should have been her first appearance, Rowan Cheshire finally made her Olympic debut in the ladies’ halfpipe and she has qualified through to tomorrow morning’s final.
It has been a long road back to the top for the 22-year-old who was ruled out of Sochi on the eve of the Games after a heavy crash in training, but Cheshire knows she has more tricks in the kit bag she can bring out for tomorrow’s three-run final.
“It feels amazing to reach the final, I’m so happy, I can relax a little bit now,” said Cheshire. “I had a really good training run, I was trying to stay relaxed and chilled through it all. The first run I just wanted to land a run and show what I could do.”
Cheshire scored 74.00 on the first run to sit in ninth, and while she again scored in the 70s on her second run, her first run score held and she stayed in ninth overall.
“I missed out a trick in the first run just so that I could land and make finals potentially. It was a little bit scrappy, I put my hand on the floor and I missed a grab or so.
“The second run went really well, it was still a little bit scrappy but I’ve got three runs in finals to clean that up. I’m just happy to make it and show what I can do.”
Cheshire’s teammate Molly Summerhayes didn’t qualify for the final but the 20-year-old still put in an impressive display.
The 2015 Junior World Champion improved on her first run 60.00 to score 66.00 on the second run to finish 17th overall and miss out on the finals by less than seven points.
Inspired by her sister Katie who finished seventh in the slopestyle despite skiing on a badly injured ankle, Molly was excited by what she believes was her best ever performance.
“I can’t believe I got to compete at an Olympics, I’m still in a bit of shock,” said Summerhayes. “I’m really happy with the way I skied, it’s the best I’ve ever skied. I’m so proud of what I achieved.
“You have expectations of what the Olympics are going to be like. But it’s better. I just think it’s so surreal.”
SNOWBOARD: LADIES’ BIG AIR at Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre
Team GB Result: Aimee Fuller 25th
Aimee Fuller did not head to PyeongChang to make up the numbers and she went big in the first ever big air competition at the Winter Olympics.
Unfortunately Fuller came unstuck on the landings on both her runs and was unable to post a score worthy of making it through to the finals.
After landing the trick in training, Fuller was unable to reproduce that effort in a competition which showed just how far women’s snowboarding has progressed.
“You had to do your biggest and best trick. If I landed, then I would have been in the final,” said Fuller. “I’m glad to know I was a part of that progression chain, but I was just unlucky today.
“You do need a bit of luck sometimes. It’s a shame my luck was in the practice and not when it counted. I landed it in training. It’s gutting not to land it in qualification.
“I think this has been the ultimate showcase of our sport and to be a part of such a progressive qualification, it’s just insane.”
DAY 11 PREVIEW
FREESTYLE SKIING: LADIES’ HALFPIPE at Phoenix Snow Park
1:30am (GMT) Final – Rowan Cheshire
The final of the ladies’ ski halfpipe begins at 1:30am tomorrow morning.
FREESTYLE SKIING: MEN’S HALFPIPE at Phoenix Snow Park
4am (GMT) Qualifying – Murray Buchan, Alexander Glavatsky-Yeadon, Peter Speight
After Rowan Cheshire takes on the ladies’ final, a trio of British skiers will take to the men’s halfpipe hopeful of qualifying inside the top 12.
Murray Buchan has been moonlighting as an expert television commentator earlier this week but turns his attention to his second Olympic competition tomorrow.
The 26-year-old Scot finished 17th in Sochi and will have his sights set on finishing inside the top 12. Buchan made his debut at World Cup level as a 16-year-old more than 10 years ago, and his consistency is highlighted by his four top 20s in four World Championships appearances.
Buchan is joined in the final by Peter Speight and Alexander Glavatsky-Yeadon.
Both skiers had breakthrough years to secure their Olympic selection, gaining top ten results in China where Speight finished fourth and Glavastsky-Yeadon eighth.
Speight’s result was the best ever finish for a British male in ski halfpipe and was one of three top 20 results he recorded over the course of the season.
Before this campaign, Glavatsky-Yeadon had competed in just nine World Cup events over the previous six seasons but skied in five competitions this season where he gained four top 30 results.
