Heil wins World Cup gold in Calgary
Jennifer Heil added another gold medal to her trophy case — and she won't need to go far to put it there.
The Spruce Grove, Alta., native was nearly perfect at a World Cup moguls event Friday, earning her 22nd career World Cup title in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Canada Olympic Park near Calgary.
Heil, the 2006 Olympic champion, finished with 23.95 points, more than a half-point better than runner-up Nikola Sudova of the Czech Republic, who scored 23.39 points. Margarita Marbler of Austria finished third with 23.16.
Canada added a second podium result later Friday as Vincent Marquis of Quebec placed second in the men's event. Dale Begg-Smith of Australia was first with 23.73 points followed by Marquis with 23.38 and Alexandr Smyshlyaev of Russia with 23.27.
Heil has already pre-qualified for the Olympic Games, but that didn't stop her from attacking the difficult course known for its steep gradient and tricky moguls. Performing in front of her parents and sister provided extra incentive.
"I was so excited to be out here in my home province, with all my friends and family here," said Heil. "The site's beautiful. It's such an honour to be able to showcase the sport to Albertans."
Relishing challenge
While several competitors slid and tumbled off the course, Heil relished the challenge of the Calgary setup.
"I really enjoy the course," said Heil. "It's challenging as it rolls over into the really steep section.
"I had good training all week. My goal was just to push it and get to my speed threshold."
Kristi Richards, who won gold and silver at the season-opening World Cup event in Finland last month, qualified with the second-best score but settled for a sixth-place result in the final.
With another moguls event set for Saturday night, Richards was eager to atone for missing the podium Friday.
"We're a little more used to the course, and I have a little more confidence that I can charge the course now instead of just kind of making it down," said Richards, who retained the overall World Cup lead.
"It's been taking people out, so we definitely have to be careful."
Chloe Dufour-Lapointe of Montreal finished ninth with 21.96 points, while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec placed 12th with 20.94.
Bilodeau loses ski
Alexandre Bilodeau of Rosemere, Que., was the top men's qualifier, followed by Marquis in second. While Marquis maintained his form in the final, Bilodeau lost a ski and skidded to a stop mere metres from the second jump.
He wound up last among the 16 finalists.
"There are so many guys who can [end up on the] podium here," said Bilodeau, who won the overall World Cup title last season. "You need to attack to that level."
For Marquis, the result is especially significant considering he's among several skiers still vying for a spot on the Olympic freestyle team.
"I don't remember the last time I was that nervous with all these Olympic selections," Marquis said.
"For sure, [Friday] improved my chances a lot. There's nothing done yet, there's still four more World Cups to do, but that helped me a lot."
Maxime Gingras of St-Hippolyte, Que., finished eighth with 22.62 points, while Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que., came in 13th with 18.68 and Cedric Rochon of St-Sauveur, Que., placed 15th with 7.09.