Kelly Clark continues her domination of pipe at Winter X Games Aspen 2012
Winter X Games brought together the best female snowboarders from around the world and put them in a beautifully constructed superpipe at the Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, to show off their mettle during Women’s Snowboard Superpipe final on Friday,
January 27.
While the field for the contest comprised of a heavy talent pool, there was hardly anyone as lethal as America’s Kelly Clark. The 28-year-old rider had been asserting her dominance in the sport for nearly a decade now and was expected to come down hard on
her competitors during the final to successfully defend her throne.
Clark is a name that enjoys a huge amount of respect in the snowboarding community. Taking nothing for granted, the Vermont-native has worked hard to maintain her status as the best in the sport, exhibiting unprecedented consistency and skills in pipe contests.
While one simply had to look at her CV to know why she is regarded as the greatest female snowboard half-pipe rider in history, Clark chose Friday night to remind everyone of the magnitude of her greatness.
Pitted against the likes of local-rider Gretchen Bleiler and Australia’s Torah Bright, Clark not only faced the danger of losing her throne, but her long streak of wins, 12 to be exact, was also under the risk of getting broken.
As the Women’s Snowboard Superpipe final got underway, it took only a few minutes for Clark to assert her dominance in the field. She claimed the lead in the contest with her first run and stepped into the 90s off her second run, getting well ahead of her
fellow competitors for the highest place on the podium.
Despite enjoying a huge lead after the second runs wrapped up, Clark went even harder during her third run to post a 93.66 on the scoreboard. The massive front-side 1080s combined with various other stylish and innovative tricks served to raise the bar too
high for her rivals to meet. Finishing 10 points ahead of runner-up finisher Elena Hight and 17.66 points ahead of bronze medallist Hannah Teter, Clark claimed her fourth Winter X Superpipe gold medal.
Talking to a reporter after the final, the 2002 Olympic gold medallist said, “I'm coming out here to achieve my goals, not to win the contest, that's just a by-product. In my third run tonight, having the contest won, I still stepped up my run because that's
what's motivating me. It's incredible. I came off the best season I've ever had last year. Honestly, I didn't expect it to keep going. I'm kind of in awe of my streak right now. But at the same time, I'm having fun and I think that's the biggest component
to my success.”
The 22-year-old Hight, who took home silver medal after earning an 83.66 of her best run, admitted that competing against the likes of Clark was a thrilling experience and offered an opportunity to learn a thing or two from the best female pipe-rider in
the world.
Rounding out the top-three with her best-run score of 76.00 was Teter. Talking to a reporter after the final, the 25-year-old South Lake Tahoe-resident conceded that the presence of Clark in the competition was slightly intimidating as the latter seemed
to be fire all the time.
The 30-year-old Bleiler, a four-time Winter X gold medallist, missed out on the podium after finishing with fourth place, while Bright, the 2010 Olympic gold medallist, found herself sitting at seventh place by the end of the contest.
With her success in Women’s Snowboard Superpipe finals, Clark’s winning streak went from 12 to 13. She had tasted her last disappointment during Winter Dew Tour at Breckenridge in December, 2010. Taking her recent form into account, one has little reason
to doubt that 2012 will be her year as well.
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