Deer Valley aerials: Leu records lucky win No. 7
Switzerland’s Evelyn Leu continued her success on the Deer Valley aerials track Friday night, taking her seventh career World Cup win and second here.
DEER VALLEY, Utah — Switzerland’s Evelyn Leu continued her success on the Deer Valley aerials track Friday night, taking her seventh career World Cup win and second here.
Leu, the leader after the first jump, nailed a back-lay-twist-full on her second jump to outpoint the Chinese tandem of Nina Li (second) and Xinxin Gui (third). Australian Jacqui Cooper, Thursday’s winner, was fourth. American Lacy Schnoor finished 12th.
“At the beginning of the season I didn’t really trust myself, [thinking] maybe I wouldn’t land, but now I can push myself for the landings,” Leu said. “I’m more competing against myself. I don’t really take notice of the others.”
Leu nailed her 17th career World Cup podium. She won here in January 2001 in a pre-Olympic tuneup.
“She led after the first jump and knows that when she has a good jump, she can win,” said Marten Trottman, Leu’s assistant coach and boyfriend. “Five years ago she won here, and in the [2002] Olympic qualification, she set a world record, so this is a good hill for her.”
Utah’s Schnoor, the lone American jumper among the women, was rock-solid on her back-full-full in the qualifying, placing ninth. “It was awesome,” Schnoor said after that effort. “I loved my jump. I finally put one down and that was all I wanted to do today — land my jump.”
She couldn't sustain that momentum in the second round but takes some tangibles out of the weekend. “I’m very happy with my progress,” Schnoor said. “I’ve been landing a lot of jumps and jumps very well. I’m happy with that.
As for being the lone U.S. representative in the event, Schnoor said she was "pretty lonely, I’m the only American girl competing tonight. My teammates will come out next year and compete with me, but I’m happy I’m here.”
Cooper attempted the hardest jump of the first round, a back-full-full-full, and missed the landing, slapping her back onto the snow and struggling to stay upright. She was sixth in the first round and had the top score in the second round to move up to fourth for the evening.
— Eric McCollom contributed to this report
FREESTYLE WORLD CUP
Chevrolet Freestyle International
Deer Valley Resort
Park City, Utah — Jan. 12, 2007 (Night)
Women's aerials-2 (12 made finals)
1. Evelyne Leu, Switzerland, 197.94
2. Nina Li, China, 188.93
3. Xinxin Guo, China, 187.37
4. Jacqui Cooper, Australia, 183.46
5. Alla Tsuper, Belarus, 173.12
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12. Lacy Schnoor, Draper, Utah, 134.03
About the Author: Pete Rugh
