Freestyle skier from Ottawa shines in silver in Switzerland
CHUR, Switzerland — Ottawa freestyle skier Noah Porter MacLennan clinched a silver medal at the Big Air World Cup on Friday, opening the new season with the best performance of his career.
“I really didn’t expect that,” beamed the Canadian. “It’s a really nice surprise.”
MacLennan was consistent on all three of his jumps, registering scores of 82.50, 90.00 and 90.00, for a total score of 180.00 as only the top two jumps count.
Birk Ruud of Norway, the reigning Olympic champion in the discipline, won gold with a score of 188.75. Third was Troy Podmilsak from the USA with 179.75 points.
MacLennan, 19, was thrilled to finish on the podium despite knowing his first jump wasn’t ideal.
“I landed my last one and it was unreal. The spectators on the sidelines were all cheering me on, so I was excited to see my result. I am very happy with my result.
“…What I have to do now is keep my momentum going and stay focused.”
Dylan Deschamps of Quebec City was 25th, Max Moffatt of Caledon, Ontario was 29th and Alexander Henderson of Apex, BC was 38th.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 21, 2022.
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