Canadian freestyle skiers Naomi Urness and Dylan Deschamps clinched silver medals at the World Cup season opener for big air skiing held in Secret Garden, China. Urness, aged 21 from Mont-Tremblant, Que., secured her first-ever World Cup medal with a combined score of 165.75 from two runs.
In the women’s event, Great Britain’s Kirsty Muir claimed gold with a total score of 174.50 points, led by an impressive first run of 91.75, while China’s Liu Mengting finished in third place with a score of 165.25, earning the bronze medal.
On the men’s side, 22-year-old Deschamps from Quebec City earned a silver medal with a combined score of 178.50. The event was won by American Troy Podmilsak with a score of 185.50, followed by New Zealand’s Luca Harrington in third place with a score of 176.00.
Additionally, the snowboard big air event at Secret Garden saw 17-year-old Canadian Eli Bouchard from Lac Beauport, Que., narrowly miss the podium by finishing fourth with a score of 153.75, despite leading in the qualification round. Chinese athletes Su Yiming and Ge Chunyu claimed gold and silver in the men’s event, respectively, while Japan’s Ryoma Kimata secured the bronze.
In the women’s snowboard event, Japanese athletes dominated the podium with Mari Fukada taking first place with a score of 156.75, followed by Reira Iwabuchi in second place with 145.75, and Miyabi Onitsuka in third place with a score of 141.50.