China's Gu, Liu secure spots in women's freeski big air final at Milan-Cortina

LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Gu Ailing of China advanced to the final of the women's freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics along with teammate Liu Mengting here on Saturday.

Gu, the first to take the run in the qualifications, opened with a rightward takeoff double cork 1440 with crail grab, landing cleanly to earn 86.00 points. On her second attempt, she tried a leftward takeoff double cork 1080 with blindside grab but fell on landing, earning only 20.75 points. She repeated the trick on her third run and landed it successfully, scoring 84.75 points.

Under the rules, the best two scores from different takeoff directions count toward the final total, with the top 12 advancing to the final. Gu finished second with a total score of 170.75. Liu ranked ninth with 160.00 points, while Yang Ruyi placed 16th with 136.75, failing to qualify.

Canada's Megan Oldham, bronze medalist of slopestyle at these Games, topped the standings with 171.75.

Gu, who had not competed in any FIS big air events since Beijing 2022, reflected on her return. "This is my first big air competition in four years. I barely trained for it in between," she said. "I wasn't thinking about medal or the color of the medal. I just wanted to show my moves. I felt no pressure. If I had the chance, I'd go for it."

"Even though I haven't competed in big air for a long time, I still know how to ski and understand my body," Gu added. "Before the third jump, I wasn't scared."

"I'm really proud of competing in three events - slopestyle, halfpipe and big air, as a female athlete," she said. "A lot of people told me it's impossible, but I'm doing it. I'll give it everything and see what will happen next."

The big air final is scheduled for Monday. ■