Australia is celebrating the addition of another World Championship to a brilliant series of recent successes after slopestyle skier Anna Segal won gold in the United States today.
Competing in the inaugural slopestyle event at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at the Park City Mountain resort, 24-year-old Segal joined an exclusive club of Australian winter sports World Champions, becoming the fourth new member within three weeks.
Segal's win emphatically consolidates her position as the leading women's slopestyle athlete in the world and caps off a remarkable recovery from a broken leg, suffered less than 12 months ago.
And medal glory was also achieved by 20-year-old fellow slopestyle skier Russ Henshaw, who took out the bronze in the men's event.
Segal joins Alex Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone (both snowboard halfpipe) as newly crowned World Champions.
Segal's win, which she adds to her gold in the 2007 US Open and the 2009 X Games, was achieved ahead of Canadian Kaya Turski and American Keri Herman in third.
Segal was simply outstanding today producing the two highest scoring runs, consistently performing the largest and most difficult tricks with the highest degree of difficulty.
Fresh from a silver medal in last weekend's X Games in Aspen, Colorado in the United States, Henshaw, who went into today's final under an injury cloud, was unlucky to miss out on a higher finish.
American duo Alex Schlopy and Sam Carlson finished in first and second with 41.8 and 41.5 points while Henshaw was just behind with 41.2.
Slopestyle is new to the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championship program having developed a cult following throughout the North American and European X Games competition circuits.
A typical slopestyle competition consists of athletes performing on three rail features and three jump features. Athletes are judged on their ability to perform relevant and challenging tricks with the most style.
Current tricks range from switch 1080 (backwards take off with 3 rotations landing backwards) to double cork 1260 (double off axis flip with 3 and a half rotations).
At the post event press conference Segal, who has skied since the age of three, was elated by her win and pleased to have had the opportunity to represent Australia on the world stage.
"After a slightly disappointing sixth at last week's X Games I was determined to put on a show here at Park City," Segal said.
"The slopestyle tour in the US and Europe has been rewarding over the past few years, however, having had a taste of competing for Australia in Moguls as a junior I was really excited to finally have had the opportunity to hear Advance Australia Fair from the podium."
Ski and Snowboard of Australia Chief Executive Officer Mr Michael Kennedy said that the two medal performances will further enhance freestyle skiing's growth.
"Today's results, combined with the three gold medals at the Snowboard World Championships, again highlight the terrific breadth of talent Australia has in Winter Sports," Mr Kennedy said.
"Given Anna's and Russ's results today we are particularly excited by the possibility that slopestyle may become an Olympic sport in Sochi 2014.
"Despite its relatively low profile here in Australia compared to the professional sports, skiing and snowboarding are among Australia's largest participation sports.
"Slopestyle and the snowboard disciplines have a particularly strong connection to a youth audience so it is no surprise that we have so many talented and capable athletes in these new disciplines"
Slopestyle is currently under consideration by the International Olympic Committee for inclusion in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Sochi, Russia.
Competing in the inaugural slopestyle event at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at the Park City Mountain resort, 24-year-old Segal joined an exclusive club of Australian winter sports World Champions, becoming the fourth new member within three weeks.
Segal's win emphatically consolidates her position as the leading women's slopestyle athlete in the world and caps off a remarkable recovery from a broken leg, suffered less than 12 months ago.
And medal glory was also achieved by 20-year-old fellow slopestyle skier Russ Henshaw, who took out the bronze in the men's event.
Segal joins Alex Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone (both snowboard halfpipe) as newly crowned World Champions.
Segal's win, which she adds to her gold in the 2007 US Open and the 2009 X Games, was achieved ahead of Canadian Kaya Turski and American Keri Herman in third.
Segal was simply outstanding today producing the two highest scoring runs, consistently performing the largest and most difficult tricks with the highest degree of difficulty.
Fresh from a silver medal in last weekend's X Games in Aspen, Colorado in the United States, Henshaw, who went into today's final under an injury cloud, was unlucky to miss out on a higher finish.
American duo Alex Schlopy and Sam Carlson finished in first and second with 41.8 and 41.5 points while Henshaw was just behind with 41.2.
Slopestyle is new to the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championship program having developed a cult following throughout the North American and European X Games competition circuits.
A typical slopestyle competition consists of athletes performing on three rail features and three jump features. Athletes are judged on their ability to perform relevant and challenging tricks with the most style.
Current tricks range from switch 1080 (backwards take off with 3 rotations landing backwards) to double cork 1260 (double off axis flip with 3 and a half rotations).
At the post event press conference Segal, who has skied since the age of three, was elated by her win and pleased to have had the opportunity to represent Australia on the world stage.
"After a slightly disappointing sixth at last week's X Games I was determined to put on a show here at Park City," Segal said.
"The slopestyle tour in the US and Europe has been rewarding over the past few years, however, having had a taste of competing for Australia in Moguls as a junior I was really excited to finally have had the opportunity to hear Advance Australia Fair from the podium."
Ski and Snowboard of Australia Chief Executive Officer Mr Michael Kennedy said that the two medal performances will further enhance freestyle skiing's growth.
"Today's results, combined with the three gold medals at the Snowboard World Championships, again highlight the terrific breadth of talent Australia has in Winter Sports," Mr Kennedy said.
"Given Anna's and Russ's results today we are particularly excited by the possibility that slopestyle may become an Olympic sport in Sochi 2014.
"Despite its relatively low profile here in Australia compared to the professional sports, skiing and snowboarding are among Australia's largest participation sports.
"Slopestyle and the snowboard disciplines have a particularly strong connection to a youth audience so it is no surprise that we have so many talented and capable athletes in these new disciplines"
Slopestyle is currently under consideration by the International Olympic Committee for inclusion in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Sochi, Russia.
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