China's Liu, Japan's Kasamura claim gold in freeski slopestyle at Asian Winter Games

HARBIN, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- China's Liu Mengting and Rai Kasamura of Japan took women's and men's freeski slopestyle title respectively at the Harbin Asian Winter Games on Tuesday.

It was sunny at the Yabuli Ski Resort, where the Games' snow events are taking place, but the wind still posed a challenge for the skiers. Liu secured gold with a score of 94.00 in her first run, while her compatriots Yang Ruyi and Han Linshan took silver and bronze respectively.

"I've competed in many international events, and unpredictable winds are a common challenge in slopestyle," Liu said. "I have plenty of experience in dealing with such conditions, so I wasn't worried about the weather today."

In the men's competition, Kasamura completed a perfect routine on his second run to score 93.25 points. Fellow Japanese Ruka Ito tried to challenge Kasamura but fell short, finishing second with 88.50 points.

The fight for the men's bronze was thrilling. Although China's Lin Hao improved his score to 78.50 on his third run, Thailand's Paul Henri Vieuxtemps then made a stunning comeback to take the bronze with 85.25 points. ■