The women’s moguls podium in Rosa Khutor. (GEPA)

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — A shocked and teary-eyed 2010 Olympic mogul champion, Hannah Kearney had no qualms admitting she did not win a bronze medal Saturday; she lost a gold.

Defending a gold medal is never easy, but Kearney seemed to have it in hand with the lead position entering the super final in the women’s moguls under the lights at Sochi’s Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. But when it comes to gold medals, the last round is the one that really counts.

Two of three sisters to make the Canadian Olympic team, Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe, earned gold and silver medals, respectively, fist bumping their bouquets of flowers on the podium, and holding hands before the announcement.

“It felt like I was able to beat them most of the time, to be honest,” said Kearney. “Yeah, it happened a couple of times where one of them beat me. I felt like I was the person who beat myself today. I don’t feel like they beat me.”

In retrospect, Kearney had shown a slight break in form early in the round of 20, finishing only seventh, and looked shaky in the second heat, too, but was awarded the top score as the group was pared from 12 to six for the last round of the night.

With fatigue starting to become a factor, the Dufour-Lapointe duo seemed to turn it up a notch, attacking the moguls aggressively. Both sisters put in turns the judges saw as best of the night, garnering identical 12.1-point scores. Kearney had qualified with a turn score of 12.6, but after landing her top jump, suffered a misstep with one ski coming well up off the snow and out to the side, an error so severe it could not be ignored by the judges at the bottom of the course. She was handed an 11.1 total turn score. That could not be overcome even by successfully completing a 360 mute grab off the bottom air, a jump with the highest degree of difficulty seen all night.

“I stuck with my routine at the top,” Kearney said. “I know how to ski this course, just relax. I didn’t feel nervous, but I’m sure the nerves create a physical reaction in your body and make you a little bit stiffer. … They were deep moguls, which I like. I really think they suit me, but you have to hit the insides of them, otherwise you get thrown out of the course.

“(Last time), I won a gold medal and this time I won a bronze. That to me is very clearly going backwards,” said Kearney. “In the last four years, I’ve had an immense amount of success, so it’s just very disappointing the time I decide to not win was at the Olympics.”

For the Canadians, winner Justine Dufour-Lapointe’s air scores were slightly better than her older sister’s, but it was impossible to determine which of the two was happier. And, the message they gave was also similar.

“I gave all he energy I had inside to give a run I could be proud of,” said Justine. “I (gave) the best run that I could do, and I was satisfied with that run because I was aggressive and smooth … and that makes me satisfied. … The course was hard. It was difficult for everyone.”

Asked how it feels to beat Kearney, a woman who’s helped build the sport, Justine Dufour-Lapointe said, “I don’t think I have beat someone; I just won. I gave the best run. It was me. It was my run that won, but (Kearney) also gave an incredible show and she gave it all, like all of us.”

“We put our heart into this mogul course,” said Chloe. “As hard as we could to represent Canada.”

With their parents in attendance and big sister Maxime making it to the round of 12 before exiting the competition, there was no shortage of family with which to share the occasion.

Compared to Kearney, the day’s second best American finisher Eliza Outtrim was quite a bit more pleased with her super final result of sixth but acknowledged her third run wasn’t quite medal-worthy.

“The last thing you want to do is get out before all the rounds are over, so it was at least nice to be able to see that super final. I’m definitely disappointed. I feel like on this course I could have had a good shot at a podium,” said Outtrim who was happiest with her second run on the course. “It was tough in there. If you get a little bit off, it’s really hard to get it back on this course. It’s just not forgiving, and you had to be tight and strong the whole way and I couldn’t do that in the last run.”