Australia’s Tess Coady has qualified in the top 12 for the women’s snowboard slopestyle final on Sunday after a quality second run at the Genting Snow Park today pushed her into contention.
After a lower first run score of 55.98 that looked tidy but off balanced in the air, Coady stepped it up in the second run to qualify number eight. The higher scoring run was fluid and Coady looking much more poised through the whole run.
Commenting after she jokingly said she thought the judges “put her up”, meaning she scored higher than she thought, but overall she was “stoked” to be in the position she is.
“That was my whole goal was to come out and land something,” said Coady talking about the first two runs and her improved score on the second.
Looking ahead to the final where riders have two runs to qualify for the final, Coady said “I'm just gonna try to send it cause one I think the weather is gonna be pretty good, which is good, the course is sick, like you know, everyone's watching you got to show up.”
New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski Synnott leads the qualifiers on 86.75 points with Japan’s Kokomo Murase 81.45 and Enni Rukajarvi with 78.83.
The snowboard course looked spectacular as athletes hit various jumps, rails and features and resembling the great wall of China in style. Expect the women to ramp up the tricks if they expect to be on the podium, the American Jamie Anderson, the most decorated women slopestyle snowboarder in history sits ready to pounce qualifying fifth.
In the other Australian action earlier on Saturday, cross country skier Jessica Yeaton placed 31st in the skiathlon event in bitterly cold weather.
