Promising 21-year-old Australian aerial skiing athlete Laura Peel finished in the top 10 in just her second World Cup appearance today.
The talented AIS/VIS Mt Buller skier, showed exactly why she has been selected in Australia's national team for the first time this season by making the final of the fourth round World Cup competition at Lake Placid, USA.
Ashley Caldwell thrilled the crowd by winning on home snow with a score of 187.65 points, Alla Tsuper from Belarus was in second with 186.42 while China's World Cup competition leader Mengtao Xu was third with 183.82.
In the most impressive display of her developing career, Peel's 10th place resulted from careful pre-competition planning that was based on attempting her most difficult trick in her first jump of the day.
Having jumped a lay full - a single twisting double somersault - only a handful of times on snow, Peel and team officials knew it was a calculated risk. But she landed it near perfectly to qualify in ninth place for the final. She scored 84.97 points, close to the maximum possible for the routine.
Her second jump was another double somersault, the simpler lay tuck, which scored 70.72 points, for a total of 155.69.
Having made her World Cup debut at Mont Gabriel, Canada, only five days ago with a 15th place, Peel is showing plenty of promise.
Peel, who has graduated out of the Victorian Institute of Sport development program squad, said that her goal this year is to make sure she continues to improve with each appearance.
"I am concentrating on using this year to gain experience to set me up for the future," Peel said.
Peel will next compete in the Aerial World Championships at Deer Valley in the United States from February 4.
Australia's leading aerialist this season, David Morris, by-passed the event to concentrate on his World Championship campaign.
The talented AIS/VIS Mt Buller skier, showed exactly why she has been selected in Australia's national team for the first time this season by making the final of the fourth round World Cup competition at Lake Placid, USA.
Ashley Caldwell thrilled the crowd by winning on home snow with a score of 187.65 points, Alla Tsuper from Belarus was in second with 186.42 while China's World Cup competition leader Mengtao Xu was third with 183.82.
In the most impressive display of her developing career, Peel's 10th place resulted from careful pre-competition planning that was based on attempting her most difficult trick in her first jump of the day.
Having jumped a lay full - a single twisting double somersault - only a handful of times on snow, Peel and team officials knew it was a calculated risk. But she landed it near perfectly to qualify in ninth place for the final. She scored 84.97 points, close to the maximum possible for the routine.
Her second jump was another double somersault, the simpler lay tuck, which scored 70.72 points, for a total of 155.69.
Having made her World Cup debut at Mont Gabriel, Canada, only five days ago with a 15th place, Peel is showing plenty of promise.
Peel, who has graduated out of the Victorian Institute of Sport development program squad, said that her goal this year is to make sure she continues to improve with each appearance.
"I am concentrating on using this year to gain experience to set me up for the future," Peel said.
Peel will next compete in the Aerial World Championships at Deer Valley in the United States from February 4.
Australia's leading aerialist this season, David Morris, by-passed the event to concentrate on his World Championship campaign.
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