ROSA KHUTOR, Russia, February 14 (R-Sport) – Acrobatic skill and a healthy dose of good fortune brought Alla Tsuper of Belarus the gold medal in women’s aerials skiing Friday as all of her rivals crashed.
Aged 34 and at her fifth Olympics, Tsuper won her first career medal by scoring 98.01 with the opening jump of the four-woman medal shootout at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. It was the second gold of the day for Belarus, who earlier tasted victory in the biathlon with Darya Domracheva’s victory in the 15 kilometer individual race.
The silver medal went to China’s Xu Mengtao, the reigning world champion, who slipped backwards on landing and scored 83.50. Australia’s Lydia Lassila, who fell and slid across the ground on her back, added the bronze to her 2010 gold medal after scoring 72.12
The fourth woman in the final was China’s Li Nina, the 2006 and 2010 silver medalist, who crashed down onto her left leg after she severely under-rotating her jump. Li appeared shaken but unhurt. Her score of 46.02 ruled her out of medal contention.
