Moguls: Uemura wins in Inawashiro, Bahrke third; men’s cancelled

There’s no place like home for moguls skier Aiko Uemura of Japan. The 30-year-old World Cup veteran has claimed six World Cup podiums and two world championship gold medals at Inawashiro, Japan. She topped the podium there again today in a World Cup dual moguls competition to sooth the sting of finishing fourth at the Vancouver Games.

The women were able to squeeze today’s competition in with a brief patch of clear conditions. Fog cancelled both of yesterday’s World Cup competitions and today’s men’s duals event

Today’s second-place finisher, Vancouver Games silver medalist, Jennifer Heil of Canada, is also comfortable on the Japanese slopes. She’s won there four times. It was also a return trip to the Inawashiro podium for American Shannon Bahrke who finished third today, the same result she pulled in on the hill in 2001 and at last month’s Olympic Games.

Heil remains the World Cup overall leader with three events left on this season’s calendar. American Heather McPhie (fourth today) stands second, 119 points behind Heil and continues to have her best season ever. Uemura is third overall, 89 points behind McPhie.

Fellow Americans Eliz Outtrim and Laurel Shanley also cracked the top-15, finishing 11th and 14th, respectively.

Canadian sisters Chloe and Maxime Dufour-Lapointe were in there as well with 10th and 12th-place finishes.

The result was Uemura’s first World Cup victory of the season and her tenth career win.

American gold medalist Hannah Kearney didn’t make the trip but will rejoin her teammates in Europe next week.

The moguls World Cup now heads to Are, Sweden for moguls and dual moguls competitions March 12 and 13.