Skier Cassie Sharpe is off to a promising start in the women’s halfpipe, taking the top spot in qualifying. Her ability to blend progressive tricks with big amplitude and smooth execution turned her into the odds-on favorite for halfpipe gold in her Olympic debut.
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“I definitely think of my tricks on the way down, but I play “Ante Up” and I don’t hear it until I get back to the bottom”, said Sharpe, from Comox, B.C.
She set the tone early in the final, getting a 94.40 in her first run down the halfpipe and following it up with a 95.80 in the second.
Tragically, Burke died in January, 2012, when she ruptured an artery that supplies blood to the brain during a training crash. Six years later, however, her legacy is secure.
Despite scores above 90 for Martinod and Sigourney, they couldn’t come close to matching Sharpe’s high-flying act.
“I guess I was going much higher and keeping my style on, so it’s a bit of frustration, of course”, said Martinod. “I’m stoked to be going to finals, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to lay down”, she said.
Sharpe’s first run scored a 93.00 and would have also earned her top marks of the 12 competitors that advanced to the final.
That run gave Martinod her second straight Olympic silver medal in what will likely be one of the final contests of her career. She came here as the favourite for gold.
She stayed down on the snow after the last fall, receiving medical attention before skiing off with tears streaming down her face. Not that it mattered. “It still felt good to go through there. You’re here. It’s fine'”.
Sharpe is the first Canadian woman to medal in the event after its inclusion in the Olympics for 2014. Burke talked her out of it, saying Martinod needed to help show the world what freestyle halfpipe skiing was all about.
“I just feel to proud and honored to are a part of this group of girls”, she said. “It feels totally good”. That is super special and meant a lot. Her 1080-degree corks, gaining massive air while doing tricks with her skis and hands, and then her ideal landings in a tight space are unparalleled.
Time passed. Burke kept pushing the envelope and bringing as many women along with her as she could.
With a declarative 1080 as her final hit, the 25-year-old Sharpe proved untouchable despite gallant final runs by the Americans, Brita Sigourney, Annalisa Drew and defending gold medalist Maddie Bowman.
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American Brita Sigourney took third with a 91.60 in her final run.
