Aussie teenager creates history in World Cup debut
Sebastian Tan |
Teenage skiing sensation Indra Brown has etched her name into the history books, becoming the youngest Australian athlete to secure a World Cup podium finish.
The 15-year-old claimed a bronze medal in her first freeski halfpipe at Secret Garden in China, scoring an 82.00 in challenging conditions on Saturday.
The result eclipses snowboarders Torah Bright and Valentino Guseli, who both podiumed aged 16 years and 11 months.
Brown’s third-placed finish also means she claims a valuable 60 competition points, lifting the Melburnian into 16th spot on the freeski halfpipe world rankings, where the top 25 athletes qualify for the Milano Cortina Olympic Games in February.
Olympic champion Eileen Gu (91.75) of China claimed the gold, while Great Britain’s world champion Zoe Atkin (90.25) finished second.
Brown will next compete at Copper Mountain in the United States on December 20.
The teenager’s result marks the start of a big weekend for Australians as they vie for an Olympic berth.
Another teenager, Ally Hickman, grabbed a mammoth 93.00 in qualifying for the big air World Cup season finale on Saturday morning.
But, halfpipe world champion Scotty James had a World Cup to forget, finishing 10th in Friday’s final, scoring an uncharacteristic 50.0.
Bobsledder Bree Walker will compete in the monobob World Cup in Norway on Saturday, before Guseli participates in the Park and Pipe World Cup Freeski and Snowboard Big Air Steamboat Final on Sunday.
Curling duo Dean Hewitt and Tahli Gill begin their Olympic qualification event in Canada, also on Sunday, where a top-two finish will secure them a spot at the Olympic Games.
AAP
