Aussie Lassila defies Li Nina to win aerials

• Source: Global Times
• [08:51 February 26 2010]
• Comments

China's Li Nina competes in the Freestyle Skiing women's aerial finals at Cypress Mountain Thursday. Photo: AFP

Lydia Lassila held off a powerful Chinese challenge to win the women's aerials and notch Australia's second gold medal of the Vancouver Games Thursday.

Lassila, in second place after her first jump, scored a combined total of 214.74 points in her two jumps, finishing ahead of China's Li Nina, who took silver with a total of 207.23 points and another Chinese Guo Xinxin, who scored 205.22 points and took the bronze.

"This is something that I've dreamed about at home since as far back as I can remember," said Lassila, who completed two excellent jumps with high degrees of difficulty in swirling fog on Vancouver's Mount Cypress.

"I know China are a strong team but when I jump my best, I know that will be good enough. Everything worked out."

Lassila, who struggled in the lead-up to the competition with the loose and sugary snow, said her victory was even more special as she had battled back from a series of injury problems.

"This is what I worked my whole life for. It's here now. I never lost sight of what I could do and what I can do is this: triple somersaults."

The Chinese, led by Turin silver medalist Li, had been highly fancied to win the event and even perform a podium clean sweep. They currently dominate the World Cup points table, filling five of the top six berths.

But Lassila, the only non- Chinese in the world top six, at No. 4 in the standings, wowed the judges, moving into the gold medal position with just China's Xu Mengtao to jump.

However, Xu fell on landing to finish sixth.

"After my second jump, that was everything I could do and I was so pleased with my performance and I'd done my maximum," said Lassila, 28.

Lassila, who won the World Cup last year, came into these Games in top form having set a women's world record two-jump score of 220.91 points at Deer Valley, United States, in January.

Three-time defending world champion Li Nina said, "I'm not crying because I didn't win gold. I'm crying because I landed four jumps and all these years of practice have paid off."

"I feel in Turin I could not do my best because of injury. Today I did my best, I could bring out my best jump. I feel amazing," she added. "I feel I am the snow princess and always will be."

Lassila's win is the second Olympic gold for Australia in the women's aerials after Alisa Camplin won the title in 2002.

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