Clark wins 13th straight, Winter X gold in superpipe : OutThereColorado.com


Clark wins 13th straight, Winter X gold in superpipe

Friday, January 27, 2012 23:55

BY BRIAN GOMEZ, THE GAZETTE

ASPEN – Call it a baker’s dozen for Kelly Clark, the suddenly unbeatable snowboarder. And like most other victories during an extraordinary run, this one wasn’t even close.

The two-time Olympic medalist extended her winning streak to 13 outings Friday with a superpipe blowout at the Winter X Games, again proving she can’t be touched when she lands a three-rotation 1,080 – enough for a 10-point triumph on Buttermilk Mountain.

A year after she prevailed over Kaitlyn Farrington and Elena Hight by a whopping seven points, Clark, 28, of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., threw incomparable amplitude in an eight-person final of three rides apiece down a 567-foot pipe stretching 66 feet wide and 22 feet tall. She also thrived off backside spins, and she illustrated an invert and a larger switch.

“I just focused on my tricks and the things I wanted to do,” said Clark, whose victorious ride included a backside 540 into the frontside 1,080, then a Cab 720 and a frontside 540. She noted, “Being happy with your riding is the biggest confidence booster you can get. I am very confident because I’m having fun, and my riding is where I want it to be.”

It marked the ninth Winter X medal, including the fourth gold, for Clark, the undisputed favorite for the 2014 Sochi Games. No snowboarder (man or woman, in any discipline) has more than two Olympic medals, and as long as Clark remains healthy, she should get the hat trick – probably the closest thing to Shaun White, only without all of the acclaim.

Clark simply inhabits a higher level – she soared 14 feet, 3 inches out of the pipe – next to others in the deepest field the sport has seen. Ahead of Hight, a two-time Olympian who was runner-up; Hannah Teter, a two-time Olympic medalist who took third on her 25th birthday; Aspen resident Gretchen Bleiler, a 2006 Olympic silver medalist who was fourth despite improved air and a back-to-back 900 combination; and Australian Torah Bright, the 2010 Olympic champion who stumbled to seventh after limited preparation.

If not impossible, attempting to overcome Clark ranks as “a little bit intimidating because she’s so powerful,” Teter admitted. “It always is. She’s so consistent and so on fire all the time.” Hight added, “Kelly is definitely on her game. No one can deny that.”

WHITE OUT OF SLOPESTYLE

Two-time Olympic halfpipe gold medalist Shaun White reinjured his left ankle Friday in a slopestyle practice run, prompting his withdrawal from the slopestyle qualifying session for Saturday’s finals. White originally hurt his ankle Thursday in superpipe training, and by not participating in slopestyle, a new Olympic discipline for 2014, he’s still expected to compete Sunday in superpipe, an event he has won four straight times and six overall.

“I’m disappointed,” White told ESPN before leaving Buttermilk Mountain for his Aspen rental house. He added, “My priority this year was to ride in slopestyle. Unfortunately, I hit my ankle again riding the course. I’m going to rest up and get ready to ride pipe.”

MEN’S SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE QUALIFYING

1. Mark McMorris, Regina, Saskatchewan

2. Torstein Horgmo, Oslo

3. Sebastien Toutant, Montreal

What to know: McMorris led eight qualifiers for Saturday’s final, minus Shaun White

WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE

1. Jamie Anderson, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

2. Enni Rukajarvi, Kuusamo, Finland

3. Kjersti Oestgaard Buaas, Thondheim, Norway

What to know: Anderson recorded the highest score in Winter X history, overcoming tough conditions with a Cab 720 tail grab, back-to-back 540s and a switch backside 180

Quoting Anderson: “After getting third last year, I was really working hard on learning some new tricks and trying to get them all solid, and it definitely feels good.”

MEN’S SNOWBOARDER X QUALIFYING

1. Rob Fagan, Squamish, British Columbia

2. Nate Holland, Sandpoint, Idaho

3. Alex Pullin, Eden Cove, Australia

What to know: Fagan won the qualifier for Saturday’s final, to include 24 snowboarders

SNOWBOARD BIG AIR

1. Mark McMorris, Regina, Saskatchewan

2. Torstein Horgmo, Oslo

3. Sebastien Toutant, Montreal

What to know: McMorris sustained a perfect run by Horgmo, as both did triple cork 1,440s, with McMorris having a more complete body of work for his first Winter X gold

Quoting McMorris: “I got (the triple cork) on my second try. It was a little sloppy, but I was really pumped to land it. It could have went either way, but I’ll take the win.”

MEN’S SKIING SUPERPIPE QUALIFYING

1. David Wise, Reno, Nev.

2. Justin Dorey, Vernon, British Columbia

3. Torin Yater-Wallace, Aspen

What to know: Wise topped a group of eight qualifiers for Saturday’s final

MEN’S SKIER X QUALIFYING

1. Jouni Pellinen, Helsinki

2. Armin Niederer, Klosters, Switzerland

3. Nik Zoricic, Toronto

What to know: Pellinen headlined 28 qualifiers for Sunday’s final

WOMEN’S SKIER X QUALIFYING

1. Marte Gjefsen, Lillehammer, Norway