06.02 Austria's Gasser Stuns Rivals on Olympic Debut for Slopestyle

ROSA KHUTOR, Russia, February 6 (R-Sport) – Austria’s Anna Gasser surprised her more illustrious opponents Thursday to secure a place in the first-ever Olympic women’s snowboard slopestyle final in Sochi.

Gasser advanced with a leading score of 95.50 points, ahead of American gold medal favorite Jamie Anderson, who went through with first run of 93.50 points before skipping the second.

“In the final, the going gets tough. I think then that the level of the other girls will look different too,” Gasser said. "Naturally, all my thoughts are on a medal. In the final, I’ll have an all-or-nothing outlook."

Taking risks and finishing 10th would be better than getting fourth with a safe strategy, she added.

California-based Anderson said the course "has been very challenging for a lot of the riders but overall everyone is doing their best."

Also through in the second heat were Swiss boarder Elena Koenz and Karly Shorr of the United States.

The top qualifiers in the first heat were Switzerland’s Isabel Derungs, who landed a clean run, albeit with something in reserve, as she scored 87.50 to qualify, and Australian Torah Bright, the 2010 gold medalist in halfpipe, with 85.25.

Also qualifying from that heat were Canada’s Spencer O’Brien and Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi.

"It’s great, it’s good to start the games like that for self-confidence," Derungs said, adding she would increase the difficulty of her tricks for the final.

"I for sure will try to step up my run. I don’t really know yet what I’m going to do but for sure I’m going to try something better."

Of slopestyle's Olympic debut, she said: "That’s amazing. It’s good to show our sport to the world. Even the quallies, there’s a crowd watching."

Bright said: "It’s a wonderful start, very happy ... I particularly liked the last jump because front three’s my favorite trick and it’s the big jump – you can float it the whole way through. It feels great.”

The Australian added she was "working on another trick that I'll put in in the final."

Thursday’s slopestyle qualifying puts eight women directly through to Saturday's final, which will be the first medal event of the Games. No one is eliminated on the first day, with all non-qualifiers getting another chance in the semi-finals.

The automatic passage to the semi-finals led to unusual scenes when the injured 16-year-old American Ty Walker headed down the slope slowly without performing any tricks in order to comply with regulations while taking no risks with her ongoing elbow and knee problems.

Slopestyle’s first Olympic showing began amid controversy over the course, which has been altered to lower the height of the jumps folllowing complaints from athletes that it was unsafe.

The risks of slopestyle were put into sharp relief Thursday as Norwegian rider Kjersti Buaas twisted in the air off a jump and slammed into the snow face first. She then limped away down the slope and received medical treatment. Buaas was 14th and last in the first women’s heat.

Norwegian boarder Torstein Horgsmo’s Olympic dream ended when he broke his collarbone in training Monday, and U.S. star Shaun White withdrew from slopestyle Tuesday to focus on halfpipe, citing the injury risk.

Slopestyle sees competitors perform tricks on various rails and jumps as they speed down a specially prepared slope. There are six judges, from which the top and bottom scores are discounted.

Slopestyle’s Olympic debut includes men’s and women’s ski and snowboard events.