Canada wins silver, bronze in women’s halfpipe skiing at Beijing Olympics
Posted February 17, 2022 10:11 pm.
Last Updated February 17, 2022 9:26 pm.
A pair of Canadians clinched spots on the podium in women’s halfpipe freestyle skiing at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Cassie Sharpe of Calgary won the silver medal with a score of 90.75 while Rachael Karker of Erin, Ont. won the bronze with a score of 87.75.
Sharpe, the reigning Olympic champion in the event, was only bested by China’s Eileen Gu — who won the gold and her third medal of Games with a blistering score of 95.25.
Gu becomes the first action-sports athlete to earn three medals at the same Winter Olympics. The standout American-born freestyle skier who represents China already has gold from big air and a silver from slopestyle events.
Sharpe’s run was highlighted by a pair of 1080 spins in her second trip down the course, the first time an athlete completed the feat in an Olympic competition. The 29-year-old missed most of the 2021 season after suffering a torn ACL, MCL and fractured femur and barely had any time to get up to speed before the Olympics.
Karker, 24, is competing in her first Olympic Games after breaking onto the scene in 2019. She is a three-time X-Games medalist and won a silver medal in 2021 at the FIS World Championships in halfpipe.
Amy Fraser of Calgary finished in eighth place with a score of 75.25, giving Canada three athletes inside the top-10.
Canada now has won 22 medals at the Games – four gold, six silver and 12 bronze.
