10°c Light rain
16°c Variable cloudiness
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Medal hopes soar in aerials
Trio of high-flying Canucks reachs finals
Steve Omischl goes bottoms up during aerials qualification. (SEAN KILPATRICK / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
-
Complete coverage of the Paralympic games in London.
Related Items
VANCOUVER -- Steve Omischl wasn't about to treat this Olympic Games like a night in Vegas. Not this time. No high risk gambling like he did four years ago at the 2006 Olympics in Turin.
Omischl -- the man with everything the freestyle skiing world has to offer except an Olympic medal -- kept it simple at Cypress Mountain Monday night and qualified for Thursdays' 12-man aerials final, something he failed to do in Turin.
Omischl played it safe and managed a two-jump total of 233.88 points to qualify eighth. Calgarians Warren Shouldice and Kyle Nissen qualified sixth and ninth with scores of 235.93 and 233.71.
"The only thing I was focusing on was trying to hit two takeoffs and not worry about anything else," said the 31-year-old Omischl, who is trying to end something of an Olympic jinx at these home Games.
In 2002 at Salt Lake City the North Bay, Ont., native finished 11th after qualifying fourth. In Turin he attempted an extremely difficult jump in the qualifying session, a jump he'd never successfully landed and had barely even attempted. He crashed and his Olympic dream were shattered.
So Monday he went with better odds, used his old reliables -- a full double full and lay double full -- and got the job done.
"I could have done a harder jump with the potential of getting a higher score but it was like, no, do my bread and butter, get the job done, don't do anything more than land a nice jump, get my ticket punched. I'm very happy to get into the finals."
Omischl has 20 World Cup victories, four World Cup aerials overall titles, a 2005 world championship -- everything, except a coveted Olympic medal.
And so he will ramp it up a bit on Thursday. He'll use a full double full in his first jump and then double full full full for his second jump to stay within striking distance of the podium.
China's Zongyang Jia led qualifying with a score of 242.52.
With three men in the final there's a chance for Canada to win its first freestyle aerials medal since Philippe LaRoche and Lloyd Langlois won silver and bronze in 1994 at Lillehammer, when aerials made its Olympic debut as a medal sport.
-- Canwest Olympic Team
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 23, 2010 C3
More Print Stories
- Back to Top
- Return to Print Stories
Poll
Most Popular Print Stories
- Russian oligarchs foot much of the bill for 2014 Olympics in Sochi as price of doing business
- Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid says security top priority after bombings on Syrian border town
- Column: IOC should put wrestling back on Olympic program, give other 2020 wannabes fair shot
- Russia cracks down on illegal construction in Sochi ahead of 2014 Winter Olympics
- Sinclair virtual shoo-in as flag bearer
- AP Sources: Singapore member Ng Ser Miang to announce candidacy for IOC president
- Defining moment for hockey's new generation
- Istanbul 2020 bid highlights improved transportation, infrastructure investment plans
- AP Source: CK Wu of Taiwan notifies Rogge he's running for IOC president
- THE GOAL
- Russian oligarchs foot much of the bill for 2014 Olympics in Sochi as price of doing business
- AP Sources: Singapore member Ng Ser Miang to announce candidacy for IOC president
- Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid says security top priority after bombings on Syrian border town
- Lebanon's skiers fight for spots in Sochi to race for only Arab country in Winter Olympics
- Column: IOC should put wrestling back on Olympic program, give other 2020 wannabes fair shot
- Russia cracks down on illegal construction in Sochi ahead of 2014 Winter Olympics
- IOC investigates global system to monitor betting
- Istanbul 2020 bid highlights improved transportation, infrastructure investment plans
- Sinclair virtual shoo-in as flag bearer
- Organizers of 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics say games will promote peace in Korea
- Russian oligarchs foot much of the bill for 2014 Olympics in Sochi as price of doing business
- Report: High levels of arsenic in blood of ex-Russian Olympic official who was forced to quit
- Oscar Pistorius' older brother Carl in court again for continuation of culpable homicide trial
- Australian Olympic swimmers face sanction over sleeping pill use; admit to childish pranks
- Oly dreams close to reality
- 5 rings over Tulsa? Supporters want Oklahoma's 2nd-largest city to bid for 2024 Olympics
- Stefka Kostadinova re-elected for 3rd term as president of Bulgarian Olympic Committee
- Edmonton police arrest diving coach on sex-related charges
- AP Sources: Singapore member Ng Ser Miang to announce candidacy for IOC president
- Swimming, athletics have funding cut by government, new Olympic sports get increases
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.