BEIJING — Canada's Megan Oldham served a warning to her opponents as she finished first in qualifying in the women's freestyle ski big air, handily booking a ticket to the final.
Oldham sat in ninth after a score of 80.00 for her first run, and improved in the second with 91.25 points.
The Ontario native missed her third jump, but her combined total of 171.25 points allowed her to advance, leading by only a quarter point ahead of France's Tess Ledeux. Russia's Anastasia Tatalina rounded out the top three with 163.25 points. The combined scores of each athlete's best two runs determine who makes the final.
Oldham, who is at her first Olympics, is coming off a strong performance at the X Games in Colorado where she won the silver medal in the big air and a bronze in slopestyle.
She'll be joined in the Tuesday final by 17-year-old Olivia Asselin, who earned 147.75 points to end up in 11th. Fellow Canadian Elena Gaskell did not start.
Quebec's Édouard Therriault admitted to having perhaps been too cautious during the men's big air qualifications, but saw plenty to be positive about even as he just missed the final.
Forced to go all out on his third and final jump, Therriault earned 84.50 points but finished 13th, just outside the top 12 that advance. Fellow Canadian Evan McEachran advanced to the final, finishing 11th.
Therriault sat in 11th after his first jump with a score of 83.50. After failing to complete his second, he needed to impress the judges in his last attempt.
The total of the best two runs determined which of the 31 athletes would make it to the final, which takes place Wednesday at Big Air Shougang.
Therriault, of Lorraine, Que., earned a total of 168 points for his two best jumps, finishing two points behind Sweden's Jesper Tjader, who earned the last ticket to the final.
"Today was great. I would have loved to be part of the final because I feel that my place was there," he told The Canadian Press in a phone interview.
"I played it a bit safe and I'm paying the price a little, but in the end, everyone skied well today. Those who are in the final deserve to be there."
The 18-year-old is in his first Olympics. He's hoping that TV viewers noted the ambiance at the site, and saw how the athletes spent the afternoon cheering each other on and celebrating their rivals' top jumps.
"That's the essence of our sport. We distinguish ourselves from other sports because of this ambiance, this camaraderie," he said, adding that athletes from different nations exchange tips.
He said he wanted to pass that attitude onto young skiers, who are the future.
"The 12-year-olds, eight-year-olds, six-year-olds, when they watch us on TV, they see our attitude," he said. "If some were watching today, I hope they were inspired."
McEachran was the only one of the four Canadians in the field to advance, with a total of 170.25 points.Â
Max Moffatt and Teal Harle finished 20th and 31st, respectively.Â
Norway's Birk Ruud easily led the field with a total of 187.75 points. American Alexander Hall (180.25) and Swede Oliwer Magnusson (177.25) rounded out the top three.Â
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2022.
Alexis Bélanger-Champagne, The Canadian Press
