Canada's Brendan Mackay competes during the men's World Cup freestyle ski halfpipe event in Calgary, Alta., Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. Calgary's Brendan Mackay and Amy Fraser both earned silver medals in freestyle ski halfpipe World Cup action on Thursday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
CALGARY – Freestyle ski superstar Eileen Gu kept up her dominance in Calgary, while Canadians Amy Fraser and Brendan Mackay won silver medals in World Cup halfpipe action on Thursday night.
The American-born Gu, who competes for China, thrilled the crowd with a 93.25-point performance in her first of three runs to win gold at WinSport’s superpipe at Canada Olympic Park.
“I love Calgary,” said Gu, who won a pair of World Cup events at WinSport last year in her first competition after winning two gold and a silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. “I’m seven-for-seven here.
“I actually won my first halfpipe World Cup ever here exactly four years ago when I was 16. This is a pretty special place for me. I love it. Let’s keep it going. We have another one on Saturday.”
Like last year, Gu had a large contingent of fans cheering her on at the bottom of the hill and she obliged them by signing autographs and taking photos with them.
“People flew in from China which is actually insane,” she said. “My entire message has been trying to spread free skiing and the sport to more people. Seeing the reach that it’s had particularly here in Calgary has been really impactful to me and it’s felt really rewarding.
“There’s nothing better than sharing the joy of ending up on top of the podium with a big group of people. I’m really grateful for everyone here.”
After her final run, Gu skied right up to Calgary’s Fraser to give her a hug and congratulate her on her silver-medal performance.
“She’s skiing great this season,” Gu said of Fraser. “I’m happy to see her being rewarded for her skiing.”
Disappointed with her first two runs, Fraser took a more aggressive strategy on her final run. And it paid off when the judges awarded her with a score of 89.25. Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin took bronze with a top score of 88.00.
“It feels awesome,” said Fraser, 28, who sits second in the World Cup standings behind Gu. “It’s my first win at home.”
A year ago at the “Snow Rodeo” in Calgary, Fraser finished in fourth and then seventh.
“I did that a lot last year and it’s kind of bittersweet,” she said. “Definitely this year, I was more hungry to be on the podium.
“I can’t wait to get a cowboy hat. I’ve been wanting one for a few years.”
After posting a score of 94.25 on his first run, Calgary’s Brendan Mackay found himself sitting in first place in the men’s competition.
American Alex Ferreira, who sits atop the World Cup standings, then edged past him into the gold-medal position with a stellar 96.50-point showing on his second run.
Nonetheless, Mackay was pleased to earn his second silver in as many years at his hometown event.
“It felt amazing tonight,” said the 26-year-old Mackay. “To get to put on a show at home in front of all my friends and family is really special. I’ve been really wanting to make it happen and I’ve been working toward it so I’m really happy that it happened.”
Mackay took a step back from competing during the first half of the season to focus on his studies at the University of Calgary, where he’s majoring in physics.
“I’m finishing up university this year,” he said. “I actually have to go home and finish up an exam (in general relativity) after this.”
Finland’s Jon Sallinen, who edged out Mackay for gold a year ago in Calgary, posted a score of 92.00 to take bronze on Thursday.
Calgary’s Andrew Longino, 21, finished in sixth (85.25).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2024.
