FREESTYLE SKIING: It wasn't an ideal night for the Australian men's moguls team in the first round of qualifying at Beijing, with all four competitors needing to qualify for the finals through a second round of qualification.
Brodie Summers was the best placed compared to Matt Graham, James Matheson and Cooper Woods - finishing 11th with a score of 75.66. He just missed out on becoming a confirmed starter for the finals, as the top 10 athletes automatically qualify for the event on Saturday.
Cooper, competing in his first Games, put down a score of 74.65 to be in 14th place. He was grateful for his first opportunity to compete at the Olympic level.
“It’s just great to put that run down, I’m really happy to put down a clean run,” Cooper said.
“It’s just an incredible experience to be competing at an Olympic Games,” he added.
PyeongChang 2018 silver medallist Matt Graham hoped for a better first run, as after a clean start he gathered too much pace and could not complete the course. He will get one more chance to qualify on Saturday for Saturday’s final.
Australia’s final competitor, James Matheson, qualified in 20th place with a score of 21.86.
Leading the qualification is the defending Olympic champion and the man regarded as the greatest exponent of mogul skiing in history, Canadian Mikael Kingsbury.
Ten more competitors can make it into the 20-man final through Saturday’s Qualification 2 round. From there the competition is culled to 12 and reduced further to six competitors where they will fight for the medals.
Damian Kelly
#HaveAGo
Freestyle Skiing
CAN YOU SKI IN AUSTRALIA?
Yes! There are 10 Ski Resorts in Australia that are easy to access.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Skiing is very affordable to #HaveAGo. You can rent all the equipment you need which is a low-cost way to try snowsports.
WHAT KIT DO I NEED?
All you need to get going is skis, poles, ski boots, a helmet, snow jacket, gloves and pants. All these items can be rented from ski shops to help get you started without having to buy everything for your first time.
