Justin Dorey and Keltie Hansen prevail in World Ski Invitational Superpipe: 2011 AFP World Championships
The inaugural Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP) World Championships continued with the third World Ski Invitational contest, the Superpipe, on Sunday, April 24, at Whistler, Blackcomb, Canada.
The top spots in both men's and women's fields were clinched by the Canadians. In the men’s field, Justin Dorey managed to prevail over his competition to secure the top position on the podium. Tucker Perkins finished in the second place, while David Wise
rounded out the podium after finishing in the third place.
In the women’s field, Keltie Hansen prevailed over the rest of the female skiers to walk away with victory. Devin Logan had to settle for the runner-up place. Anais Caradeux finished in the third place to round out the podium.
The men’s line up consisted of some of the most impressive freeskiers in the world. However, Dorey managed to overcome his competition through his amazing skills and style. In his very first run, he pulled off a double cork 1260, followed by a flat-spin
3, a switch dub 10 Japan and eventually a right 900 to cap the run. The run earned him a score of 95.2 from the judges, which remained unbeaten until the end and secured the highest spot on the podium for him.
“I've never grabbed my switch dub 10 before, so it was good timing for me to learn how,” Dorey said in his post-victory interview. “It was really cool to win this event again - I won it in 2005 or 2006 and it was my first real result I ever got so it feels
good to do it again.”
Perkins was not short on innovation and style either. He threw down an amazing first run, with a huge double cork 1260 on the last hit to complete his run. The impressive first run remained earned him a score of 85.8, which was sufficient enough to seal
his fate as a runner-up. The last spot on the podium was occupied by Wise, who managed to earn the third-highest score of 85. Talking to a journalist later on, he said that he was really happy to have ended the season with a podium finish.
On the other hand, the female skiers also got involved in an intense battle for the win as well. Competing against the best, the task of clinching the victory was never going to be easy for the 18-year-old Hansen. However, she managed to land the most impressive
run in the entire women’s field. The run comprised of back-to-back 540s, a cork 900 and a 720, earned her a score of 85.2 from the contest judges. The score remained unbeaten until the end and earned Hansen her first big win of the career.
“I'm really shocked and surprised,” an ecstatic Hansen said in a post-victory interview. “I've been trying to podium all year, so this means a lot to me.”
Logan’s run earned her a best score of 82.8, which allowed her to finish in second place. Caradeux’s 81.8 allowed her to occupy the last remaining spot on the podium.
The Superpipe contest was followed by the one-hit superhit contest on Sunday. Gus Kenworthy prevailed in the men’s field, while Sarah Burke landed the first 1080 in women’s field to clinch the win.
The conclusion of the final contest marked the completion of the WSI and end of the 2011 AFP World Championship season. Kenworthy finished as the AFP top ranked skier after doing well in all the disciplines, while the Dumont and Bobby Brown rounded out the
top three. In women’s AFP rankings, Logan finished in top place, while Keri Herman and Dania Assaly finished in second and third spot respectively.
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