Saturday, February 16, 2002
Three Canadians qualify for aerial finals
By CHRIS STEVENSON -- SLAM! Sports
SALT LAKE CITY - In an Olympic Games that has seen more than its share of Canadian favourites crash and burn, the women aerialists flew high Sunday.
But they didn't get too high.
Led by Deidra Dionne of Red Deer, AB, three Canadians qualified for Monday's final.
"It's not really a surprise. If we hadn't qualified it would be a shock," said Dionne, who qualified fifth. She was joined by Veronica Brenner of Sharon, ON, who was eighth and Veronika Bauer of Toronto, who was ninth.
"We're third, fourth and fifth in the world, so it's expected we'd be in."
But given the way these Games have gone for some of Canada's favourites, nothing is taken for granted.
The freestyle skiers, expected to do well, were shutout of the medals in moguls with Jennifer Heil of Spruce Grove, AB, just missing with a fourth-place finish.
The women had a workmanlike attitude Sunday.
"Semifinals or qualifications are, in my opinion, to be survived, not won," said Brenner, the 1997 World Cup champion. "I wanted to do the jumps that I feel really confident with so I could get into the top 12."
The top 12 Sunday qualified for Monday's final.
Dionne had 174.51 points for her two jumps, a back full full and a back layout full.
"That's my high score with those two tricks and they were both really solid jumps," she said. "I couldn't have asked for a better day."
Brenner had 168.03 points for her back full full and a back layout full and Bauer, the 2001 world champion, 167.58 for her two jumpbs.
Switzerland's Evelyne Leu led the way with 203.16 points for her back layout full full and back full full full, the jump that had the highest degree of difficulty in the competition. Alisa Camplin of Australia was second with 183.66 points.
Bauer recovered from a poor first trick in which she earned just 75.28 points for her back full full, but, with the pressure on, bounced back with 92.30 points for a back full double full.
"I felt like I was out," she said. "And then I was just like, 'I'm going to do the best jump I can do.' I just went into a daze after that almost. I can't even remember what happened. It all worked out and I'm happy now."
All three will upgrade their jumps for the final.
2002 Games Freestyle Skiing Coverage
