Canberra-born aerials champion Laura Peel has made an emphatic statement in the last World Cup event before next month’s Winter Olympics, crushing her rivals in the Deer Valley competition.
A runaway winner, Peel’s score was so good she would have won silver in the men’s World Cup event.
And in further good news for Australia’s medal prospects, compatriot Danielle Scott placed fourth.
During training before the final World Cup event in the lead-up to the Beijing Games, Peel became only the third woman to land a quadruple twisting triple backflip.
Australian Olympic gold medallist Lydia Lassila was the first followed by former world champion American Ashley Caldwell.
Peel intends fine-tuning that jump for the Olympics but the 32-year-old was still a cut above her rivals with a back full-full-full at the US resort.
Peel posted a score of 118.05 in the final while China’s Kong Fanyu was second with 84.58, followed by Hanna Huskova of Belarus with 82.65.
Scott was the only other athlete in the 12-skier final to attempt the same jump as Peel but was let down by her landing with an overall score of 80.27.
The victory was especially sweet for Canberran Peel after she missed a World Cup final for the first time in four years at the previous event in Quebec.
“Obviously a great day today, I feel like I have been working for a long time to put down a jump like” Peel said.
“To do it right ahead of the Olympic Games is amazing.”
Of the other Australians Gabi Ash was 13th and Abbey Willcox 22nd.
Despite finishing 26th, China’s Xu Mengtao still leads the overall World Cup standings in the discipline with 385 points.
Kong moved to 361 after her second place while Peel is third with 294, followed by Scott.
Wang Xindi won the men’s aerials, completing a Chinese clean sweep of the World Cup podium.
Australian Wesley Naylor finished in 35th place.
The Olympic aerials competition in Beijing will take place between February 10 and 16.
AAP
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