Gu back with a bang but Sallinen steals the show in Calgary halfpipe
Jan 21, 2023·Freeski Park & Pipe
Freestyle skiing’s undisputed star Eileen Gu (CHN) returned to competitive action for the first time in nearly a year to win the Snow Rodeo – the first of two World Cup halfpipe events in Calgary this week – in emphatic style.
But the California-born double Olympic gold medallist – whose recent activities include studying at Stanford University, shooting an advertising campaign for Tiffany & Co. and appearing on the cover of Vogue Hong Kong – was almost upstaged by Jon Sallinen.
The Finnish skier – at 22, the youngest in the men’s field and the only European – put down a sensational final run, the penultimate of the day, to score 96.00 points and leapfrog home favourites Brendan Mackay and Simon D’Artois into second and third place respectively.
RETURNING GU OUT ON HER OWN
Gu’s first competitive halfpipe run since winning gold in the event at Beijing 2022 was safe by her own ‘all-out’ standards, but a score of 90.00 would have been enough to take gold ahead of Rachael Karker (CAN), the winner last time out in Copper Mountain, USA. As it was, the 19-year-old followed that up with two scores of 95.00 with runs of unrivalled execution and amplitude.
Her winning combination started with a right 900 buick, followed by a left 900 Japan, right 720 opposite tail, switch left 360 Japan, and finally a left alley-oop flat 540 mute.
“You know I love Calgary so much, I have a great record here, I love this place,” Gu said. Indeed, this was her fourth halfpipe victory here and ninth World Cup win overall. “Tonight was so much fun – my first contest back in, like, 11 and a half months, so it feels good to be back. I was definitely a little nervous.”
Karker, who won bronze in Beijing. dropped in in confident mood off the back of her second World Cup victory, steadily improving with each run to claim a 10th straight podium finish. Her final run comprised a right 900 Japan, left 900 Japan, right flair safety, left 1080, and switch left alley-oop 540 safety.
The USA’s Hanna Faulhaber, a year and a day younger than Gu, jumped from fourth to third after her second run to claim bronze. She put down a tailgrab, left 540 mute, right flair safety, left 720 safety, switch right 360 mute and left flair safety.
SALLINEN STUNS FIELD TO TAKE FIRST WORLD CUP WIN – AND PODIUM
But it was in the men’s competition where the real excitement came. In a stacked field that included double Olympic champion and arguably halfpipe freeski’s Greatest Of All Time, David Wise, there were stray skis, signature celebrations and a shock winner.
Jon Sallinen (FIN), who’d served notice of his potential with fifth place in Copper, had already put down an audacious second run, only to fall on his last trick. But the 22-year-old nailed his technically challenging final run to score 96.00 points – one more than Gu’s winning mark in the women’s event – and leave him, and the rest of the field, stunned.
“I don’t even know [what I’m thinking],” the Finnish skier said. “To put it down on my last run was amazing. I can’t speak, I’m so happy. It’s a big boost, it shows me that I belong at the top and I’m excited to go forward from here.”
His winning run combined a switch left double 1000 Japan with a right double 1200 double Japan, left 1000 opposite tail, switch right double 1000 Japan and finally a left double 1200 safety.
As in Copper before Christmas, Mackay had to settle for second place. The 25-year-old – who has the World Cup lead after two events – ripped it up on his first run. This included a switch left alley-oop double flat 900 high-safety, a switch left double 1000 safety, right 900 opposite tail, left double 1200 blunt and right double 1200 safety.
But he lost a ski on his second and was unable to hold a landing as he attempted to overhaul Sallinen in his final attempt.
Alex Ferreira (USA) celebrated a fine third run – and what he thought was enough for a medal – with his propeller pole swing but his 92.50 could only secure fourth place behind D’Artois who scored 93.00 with his final run – a challenging combination of air to fakey opposite safety, switch left 900 opposite tail, switch right 700 Japan, left double 1200 mute and left alley-oop double 1000 safety.
Hunter Hess (USA) finished down in ninth, despite landing the biggest trick of the day, a double cork 1620.
WHERE TO WATCH:
EUROSPORT DISCOVERY, CBC SPORTS STREAMING (CAN), CZECH TV SPORT (CZE), TV3 SPORT 2 HD (EST), V SPORT + (FIN, NOR), TV3 SPORT (LAT, LIT), JOJ SPORT (SLO), VIAPLAY (GBR), skiandsnowboard.live (USA)
QUICK LINKS
YouTube LIVESTREAM (with geo restrictions) - THURSDAY / SATURDAY
Calgary Snow Rodeo halfpipe World Cup data page (startlists, livescoring, results)
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