13 Feb Telluride’s Gus Kenworthy Takes Slopestyle Silver
Ed. Note: There will be a public screening of Gus’s medal run, tonight, Thursday, 2/13, Palm Theatre, 7:00 pm.
I went to bed early this morning still seeing Gus Kenworthy’s two beautiful slopestyle runs that earned him a spot in the finals at the Sochi Olympics. Checking on the results when I woke up today was even more gratifying: Gus had won the Silver medal in a U.S. sweep of the first slopestyle skiing Olympic competition. For details, read on from usfreeskiing.com.
Gus Kenworthy podiums, taking Silver at Sochi (images, USA Today)
“This is all overwhelming. It’s been pretty crazy: the feeling of landing that run knowing it was the best run I’ve ever done and that I landed it smooth, just waiting for the score, having everyone chanting USA…it was overwhelming. It’s been incredible. I knew the whole time that the U.S. had the potential to get a sweep. We have so many talented skiers. There are like 12 guys in the top 30 and a lot of them couldn’t make it because our team can only have four people maximum. Joss I’ve known since I was 12 years old and I’m so happy for him with the win. He skied amazingly. And Nick is always the guy you’re looking to at the contest. He’s the one to beat. He’s so talented. He’s so consistent. So it’s an honor to be with them. Unfortunately Bobby (Brown) couldn’t get on the podium, but he’s definitely a medal contender too,” Gus Kenworthy
ROSA KHUTOR, Russia (Feb. 13) – It was a U.S. podium sweep at the historic debut of men’s slopestyle skiing in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games Thursday, when Joss Christensen (Park City, UT) took the sport’s first-ever gold medal with his good friends Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO) and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, IN) earning silver and bronze. The new Olympic event saw the tight American crew beat out some of the sport’s top athletes, including Great Britain’s James Woods and Norway’s Andreas Haatveit, and showcased the sport’s mix of volatility and creativity to the world. The debut is set to air on NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, and it can be streamed in its entirety on NBCOlympics.com. Next, the men battle it out for the first-ever medals in halfpipe skiing Tuesday Feb. 18.
HIGHLIGHTS
It was a U.S. podium sweep at the historic debut of men’s slopestyle skiing in the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games Thursday, when Joss Christensen (Park City, UT) took the sport’s first-ever gold medal with his good friends Gus Kenworthy (Telluride, CO) and Nick Goepper (Lawrenceburg, IN) earning silver and bronze.
The new Olympic event saw the tight American crew pull out the newest and most challenging tricks, dethroning some of the sport’s top athletes including Great Britain’s James Woods and Norway’s Andreas Haatveit. The event also showcased the sport’s mix of volatility and creativity to the world.
The sport’s creative competition comes from the camaraderie between the athletes and their ability to inspire each other with a good run or a new trick. That’s especially true with Christensen, Kenworthy and Goepper, who grew up skiing, training and competing together.
The boys’ podium sweep was the third U.S. sweep in Olympic Winter Games history, after men’s figure skating in 1956 and men’s halfpipe snowboarding in 2002.
Christensen came out of the gates swinging and shot into the top spot after his impressive first run, which earned him an unbeatable score of 95.80.
Goepper landed second after his first run score of 92.40, but was forced to settle for bronze after Kenworthy laid down a clutch second run that earned him the silver medal.
Bobby Brown (Breckenridge, CO) also qualified for the final and finished seventh.
Warm temperatures at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park provided soft, carvable snow and gave the athletes a perfect medium to put down some of the best runs ever seen in the sport. All top three athletes were able to land triple corks in their runs, which many see as the future of slopestyle skiing.
The debut is set to air on NBC’s primetime Olympic coverage Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST, and it can be streamed in its entirety on NBCOlympics.com.
Next, the men battle it out for the first-ever medals in halfpipe skiing Tuesday Feb. 18.”
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