Australia’s golden Winter Olympics could conclude with a medal-winning flourish after the sensational Indra Brown roared into the final of the women’s freeski halfpipe less than a month since she celebrated her 16th birthday.
One of the break-out stars of the winter sport season, the youngest member of the Aussie team showed no apparent nerves on her Olympic debut in Livigno on Thursday night (Friday AEDT) as she qualified for Saturday’s final in fourth place.
With Canada’s third-placed former champion Cassie Sharpe having a bad fall on her second run and being put on a snow stretcher, it didn’t appear likely she’d be fit for Saturday’s (Sunday AEDT) final even though there was relief all round as she waved to the crowd while being taken off the pipe.
So it’s possible that Melbourne teenager Brown, who’s only had four World Cup outings with three of them ending up with her celebrating on the podium, could go into the 12-woman final as third-best qualifier.
She is Australia’s last realistic shot at a medal and would take the tally to a record-extending seven, including currently three golds, if she was to make the podium again.
After a long day’s wait, not even sure whether the event might go ahead at all after a day of constant snowfalls, Brown could have afforded to feel unnerved after defending champion and the sport’s superstar, China’s Eileen Gu fell on the very first run at Livigno Snow Park.
The next to go, Brown, who became Australia’s youngest ever World Cup podium finisher at 15 in December and their most youthful champion last month, was unsurprisingly playing it safe on her opening run, but was still one of only five athletes who scored more than 80 points with her 80.75.
Second-time around, Gu comfortably made it into the final with a slightly nervy 86.50-point run, but Brown, freed up with her final place almost assured, completed a striking, more technically difficult program of tricks in immaculate fashion to record a score of 87.50.
Ultimately, that was enough to qualify her behind British leader Zoe Atkin, who recorded a 91.50 score on her first run, followed by China’s Li Fanghui (90.00) and Sharpe (88.25).
Brown’s rise has been so meteoric – she had never even been on a halfpipe this time four years ago but is currently the World Cup overall leader – that much is now expected of the youngster.
But she’s been, perhaps wisely, playing down her expectations, having said before travelling to Italy: “I don’t want to go there with a position I want, or a medal I want — I just want to go there, do my best and be really proud of what I’ve done.”
Whatever happens on Saturday, she’s already achieved that aim.
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