Snowboarder Annika Morgan just missed another top eight finish in her second competition at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Three days after her 20th birthday, she finished tenth after two falls in the final of the big air competition in Shougang. Morgan finished eighth in slopestyle.
“It was just awesome, a dream has come true for me. I’m looking forward to the next games. Maybe there will be a few more beers tonight,” said Morgan. Adding her two best jumps from three runs, Morgan scored 88.00 points.
The Olympic victory was secured by Anna Gasser from Austria (185.50), who had already triumphed at the premiere four years ago in Pyeongchang. “I’m just so happy. I wasn’t that nervous, I would have been happy with second place,” said the 30-year-old on ORF. Slopestyle Olympic champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (New Zealand/177.00) won silver, bronze went to 17-year-old Japanese Kokomo Murase (171.50).
From 1.00 p.m. (local time/6.00 a.m. CET) the men will also be fighting for the medals in Big Air. Sports soldier Leon Vockensperger (Rosenheim) and Noah Vicktor (Bischofswiesen) missed out on participating in the final, just like in slopestyle. Canada’s Max Parrot, who rode to Olympic gold in slopestyle three years after being diagnosed with cancer, was top of the qualifier.
Eileen Gu, meanwhile, narrowly missed out on another triumph after her Olympic victory in the Big Air competition. The favorite 18-year-old double world champion, a native of California but competing for China, won silver in the slopestyle competition with an 86.23. Mathilde Gremaud from Switzerland flew to gold with 86.56 points. Four years ago, the 22-year-old finished second in Pyeongchang.
Bronze went to Kelly Sildaru (82.06), who secured Estonia’s first Winter Olympic medal outside of cross-country skiing competitions. “I really wanted to get on the podium, so I’m just relieved,” said Gu. “I’m representing myself and the sport out here in front of all the people. It makes me proud that I’m able to do a run like that and I do that Showing people what’s possible under pressure.”
With a furious last run, Gu had pushed himself onto the podium after a solid first run and a fall in the second run. In the end, she was 0.34 points short of her second Olympic victory. The only German starter Aliah Delia Eichinger (St. Oswald) missed the final as 17th. Gu has another chance for a medal in the halfpipe (starting Thursday).
