Danielle Scott has produced the highest scoring jump of her career to win gold at the aerial skiing World Cup in Deer Valley, USA, making it three victories so far and the best performance for Australian athletes at the iconic event, joining mogul skiers Matt Graham and Jakara Anthony as winners from the previous day.
The two-time World Championship medallist qualified in first place with double somersaults but then switched to triple somersaults for the first time this season in finals competition, scoring 88.66 points in the semi-final with her lay-tuck-full, single twisting triple back somersault jump to advance to the super-final in third place.
Scott then increased her degree of difficulty in the medal round, performing a lay-full-full, double twisting triple back somersault to score a massive 115.20 points, the highest scoring women’s jump of the season and the best of her career to claim her second victory of the season and seventh in her career.
Second place went to Canadian Marion Thenault who scored 97.99 points, with Chinese skier Fanyu Kong rounding out the podium in third with 94.11 points.
“I am lost for words actually, I am so pumped” said the 32-year-old three-time Olympian from NSW, who now trains in Brisbane at the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre water jump facility.
“Everything went to plan, and to finally be doing triples again, it just feels so awesome, and I can’t wait for more girls to be doing them.”
“I am looking forward to the World Championships, got to keep building, I have a bit more degree of difficulty in the bag, and have to keep doing jumps like this.”
Two-time World Champion Laura Peel earlier qualified for finals in second place, but unfortunately was unable to land her lay-full-full triple back somersault in the first round of finals finishing in eighth place.
The victory sees Scott move into number one on the World Cup rankings with two events remaining for the season in March. Scott leads with 282 points, seven points clear of Canadian Thenault on 275, with Peel in third place with 182.
The aerial skiing athletes will now set their sights to the FIS World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, on February 21-22, with the mogul skiers back competing tomorrow in the dual moguls event in Deer Valley.
