LAKE PLACID, N.Y.—Defending World Cup champions Jacqui Cooper of Australia and Steve Omischl of Canada won aerials events Saturday night in light snow and intermittent wind at the Olympic Jumping Complex.
“I think we had a little of all seasons today,” Cooper said after earning 213.95 points to stay unbeaten this season with her third World Cup victory. “We had wind in the morning and then snow and wind tonight. It’s the kind of competition where experience can play a big factor. The older girls—and there’s nobody older than I am—know how to adjust when the weather is erratic like this.”
China’s Xinxin Guo (198.21) was second, followed by Olympic champion Evelyne Leu of Switzerland (190.71). Emily Cook was the top American, finishing seventh.
In the men’s contest, which concluded the second day of the nature Valley Freestyle Cup schedule, Omischl stuck his final jump, a quad-twisting-triple (four twists, three somersaults). He had 243.47 points to beat Belarus’ Anton Kushnir (239.55) and Olympic and world champion Xiaopeng Han of China (236.60).
“This is my home away from home, so it’s kind of special to win here,” Omischl said. “I’ve been training here in the summer since I was 15 and I’m very comfortable in Lake Placid.”
American Ryan St. Onge finished sixth.
The World Cup weekend concludes Sunday with a moguls content—the second in three days—at Whiteface Mountain in nearby Wilmington.
