China’s Liu Mengting soared to victory at the women’s freeski big air World Cup final in Klagenfurt, Austria, on Saturday, securing her first-ever World Cup title. Demonstrating incredible skill, Liu landed two impressive Double 1080s in her first two runs, earning a combined score of 170.60 points.
In a nail-biting finish, Liu narrowly edged out Italy’s Flora Tabanelli by just 0.20 points. With this win, Liu becomes only the second Chinese freeskier to claim a big air World Cup title, following in the footsteps of Gu Ailing.
“I’m so happy. My first World Cup win, it’s so cool,” Liu exclaimed after her victory.
Liu entered the final as the top qualifier, showcasing her prowess with a left double cork 1080 safety in her first run and a double cork 1080 in her second, both executed flawlessly.
Tabanelli delivered the highest-scoring run of the evening with 91.00 points for her left double cork 1260 safety. Despite strong performances, she couldn’t surpass Liu’s overall score. Germany’s Muriel Mohr took third place with 166.20 points.
In the men’s competition, New Zealand’s Luca Harrington dominated by scoring 94.80 points in his first run with a switch right triple 1620 esco double grab. Harrington secured the title with a total of 182.60 points, followed by France’s Timothe Sivignon and Austria’s Matej Svancer.
Reference(s):
Liu Mengting of China wins first freeski big air World Cup title
cgtn.com
