Canadians came away with two World Cup halfpipe skiing medals on Friday at a World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colorado, United States. Rachael Karker of Guelph, Ontario won the bronze medal in the women’s World Cup and Noah Bowman of Calgary, Alberta won the bronze medal in the men’s World Cup.
Karker posted a score of 81.75 points. She reached the podium by two points over Kexin Zhang of China, who was in fourth place with a score of 79.75 points. Zoe Atkin of Great Britain won the gold medal with 87.75 points and Brita Sigourney of the United States won the silver medal with 85 points.
With the bronze medal, Karker is in 10th place in the women’s World Cup halfpipe standings with 60 points. Zhang leads with 150 points. This was Karker’s third World Cup medal. She won silver medals last year in Secret Garden, China and Calgary, Alberta.
Bowman posted a score of 84.75 points. He reached the podium by 0.25 points over Birk Irving of the United States, who was in fourth place with a score of 84.5 points. Aaron Blunck won the gold medal with 87 points and David Wise won the silver medal with a score of 85.25 points.
With the bronze medal, Bowman is in third place in the men’s World Cup halfpipe standings with 140 points. Blunck leads with 160 points. This was Bowman’s eighth World Cup medal and second of the season. He previously won a silver medal in Cardrona, New Zealand on September 7.
The World Cup in Copper Mountain was the second of five World Cup halfpipe skiing events this season. Calgary, Alberta will host a World Cup on February 14. The World Cup bronze medals for Karker and Bowman will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
