2014 Olympic Snowboarding: Preview, Predictions for Women's Slopestyle Finals
What did you expect when slopestyle snowboarding made its debut in the Olympics? The course is a bear. Some embraced it. Others didn't. That's not stopping these women from gunning for gold.
After the qualifying round on Feb. 6, eight riders from two heats rode their jumps up and over the semifinals straight into the finals. Among them are Jamie Anderson of the United States and Anna Gasser from Austria. Gasser topped all riders with a 95.50 on her second run to solidify that coveted spot in the Feb. 10 final.
Anderson tallied a 93.50 on her one and only run and chose to skip her second knowing her score would be Top 8.
Of the 16 remaining in the semifinals, only four will advance to Sunday's final. On this course there is no option other than going big. Medals hang in the balance for these athletes feeding on big air.
Read on to see how they got there and where they'll likely be heading.
Schedule, TV and Live Stream Info
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The semifinals take flight at the Rosa Khuter Extreme Park on Feb. 9 at 1:30 a.m. ET. The finals wait for no one and start just a few hours later at 4:15 a.m. ET.
Check out the TV schedule here or catch it streaming live at www.NBCOlympics.com.
How Did We Get Here?
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Jamie Anderson of the U.S.A. coasted into the final with her 93.50 Thursday, but it was Austria's Anna Gasser who made a statement on her second run with a 95.50. Anderson and Gasser were the only two to break 90 on their scorecards, which makes them the biggest threats to win gold and silver.
Still, six others got a chance to bypass the semis including Isabel Derungs (SUI) whose 87.50 was the third-highest score in qualifying. Joining Derungs are Torah Bright (AUS), Spencer O'Brien (CAN), Elena Koenz (SUI), Enni Rukajarvi (FIN) and Karly Shorr (USA).
Of the remaining 16 riders, the four highest scores belong to Sarka Pancochova (CZA) who tallied a 77.75, Great Britain's Jenny Jones' 74.25, and a duo from New Zealand in Rebecca Torr and Christy Prior with 70.75 and 70.50 respectively.
Top Storylines
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Can American Ty Walker overcome injuries in the semifinals?
Ty Walker, 16, from the United States, is broken, beat and scarred heading into the semifinals of the women's slopestyle. She's battling issues with her knee, elbow and heel and went for a mellow one-point run in qualifying. Everyone who started qualifying automatically advanced to the semis. The trick was getting to and through qualifying. Walker wrote on her blog:
"The plan for [qualifying] is to get an injection with a numbing agent in the morning and use the day for more practice. I’ll take my runs but keep it mellow, and then work on something better into the weekend that will get me into the finals on Sunday.
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How will the rest of the American team finish?
Jamie Anderson and Karly Shorr make for an interesting dual-medal threat. Anderson flew into the finals with a 93.50 on her only run and Shorr rode an 84.75 into Monday's final.
What about the rest of the field?
New Zealand is well-represented in the inaugural slopestyle event with Rebecca Torr and Christy Prior posting two 70-plus scores heading to Sunday's semifinal. Stefi Luxton and Shelly Gotlieb are the other two in the semis.
But maybe the biggest storyline heading into the finals is Austria's Anna Gasser and the impeccable run she put together in qualifying. For those ready to hand the gold medal to Anderson, Gasser's 95.50 was a bucket of ice-water dumped in the shower to alert the U.S. that it will have to earn its gold in slopestyle.
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Athletes to Watch
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For all the praise being slung Jamie Anderson and Anna Gasser's way (deservedly so!), it's easy to overlook the six other women who vaulted into the final after Thursday's qualifying.
Canada's Spencer O'Brien threw down an 82.75 while Gasser's teammate, Torah Bright, lit up the scoreboard with an 85.25.
O'Brien has won two bronze medals in the Winter X Games in slopestyle, most recently in the Aspen Games this year. Her best finish was a silver medal in the 2009 Winter X Games.
Enni Rukajarvi of Finland won a gold medal in the 2011 Winter X Games in slopestyle, so like O'Brien, she can't be ignored.
Who Are the Sleepers?
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Let's take a look beyond the eight who qualified for the finals to the deep pool of 16 riders quarreling for a spot in the finals.
Both 33, Jenny Jones and Shelly Gotlieb are the oldest riders in the slopestyle field.
Jones has tasted gold in slopestyle, though it has been a few years. In 2009 and 2010, she won gold at the Winter X Games and in 2011 she took silver. Her second-place effort in the World Cup leading up to Sochi indicates that she has to be respected.
Ty Walker of the United States is another sleeper. She's 16 and inexperienced, not to mention she's banged up, but she didn't overextend herself in qualifying. In fact, she didn't even extend herself, tallying just one point and skipping her second run to simply ensure she'd qualify for the semis.
Sarka Pancochova's (CZA) 77.75 was the highest score of the also-rans. A score that high puts her in the mix. She was just 1.25 points away from an automatic bid in the finals.
Rebecca Torr and Christy Prior, both from New Zealand and the only others to break 70, have to be respected as outsiders as well.
Complete Medal Predictions
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Anna Gasser stole qualifying, but it's not who starts, but rather who finishes, that matters. Jamie Anderson took just one run in qualifying and left with a 93.50. Gasser needed two runs to get her 95.50. The medals are coming out of that first flight of riders who qualified for the finals on Day 1. Here's how it may shake out:
Gold—Jamie Anderson, United States
Silver—Karly Shorr, United States
Bronze—Anna Gasser, Austria
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