LAURA PEEL
Olympic Winter Games Attended
BIOGRAPHY
Laura Peel came to her sport as a strong skier and gymnast, thus providing an ideal base for Aerial Skiing when she began international competition in 2009.
By 2011 entered the World Cup season for the first time making the final 12 at her second event and backed up increasingly strong results with 11th place at the 2011 World Championships in Deer Valley. In 2012, Peel became the fifth Australian female to win an Aerial Skiing World Cup, claiming victory in Kreischberg, Austria. She continued her success in the 2013 season adding a further two world cup medals. By now a strong contender at any event, Peel competed at her first Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014, finishing in seventh place. In 2015, Peel became the fourth Australian Aerial Skier to win a World Championship, taking gold in Kreischberg, Austria. She was also jointly awarded as the Ski & Snowboard Australia Athlete of the Year with Scotty James (Snowboard Halfpipe). After missing the next season because of injury, Peel returned in great shape for 2016/17, immediately making the top 12 once again and continued to strengthen each event. At the final World Cup in Moscow, Russia in early 2017 she returned to the podium with a bronze before competing in the World Championships where she placed 8th. In 2018, Peel hit form at the perfect time ahead of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games securing back-to-back bronze medals at the Lake Placid World Cup just weeks out from her second Olympic appearance. In PyeongChang Peel was the highest placed Australian Aerial Skier, just missing the podium in fifth place. Peel won her second World Cup event of her career in 2018-2019, after finishing on top in Shimao Lotus Mountain, China. With China the final stop in the World Cup season, Peel finished a personal best third in the world on the standings, improving on her previous best of fourth achieved in 2012 and 2013. The 2019-2020 World Cup season was a huge success for Peel, jumping triple back somersaults in competition for the first time, taking home four World Cup medals including two victories and also won the coveted FIS World Cup Crystal Globe, as the number one ranked aerial skier in the world. For the second time in his career, Peel was named winner of the Olympic Athlete of the Year title for the 2020 Snow Australia Awards, sharing the award along with halfpipe snowboarder Scotty James. The 2020-2021 was another extraordinary season for Peel, who won the second World Championship gold medal of her career in Almaty, Kazakhstan, becoming Australia’s first aerial skiing double World Champion. Leading the way as the only female to be consistency Jumping the highest degree of difficulty with her spectacular triple back somersaults, Peel again dominated the World Cup season claiming her second consecutive World Cup Crystal Globe Title. Peel recorded four World Cup podiums including two victories over the season. Ahead of her her third Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Peel was full of confidence after scoring an amazing 118.05 points at the final World Cup Olympic Qualification Event in Deer Valley with her full-full-full, triple twisting triple back somersault, to record the seventh World Cup victory of her career and winning by almost 35 points. Peel’s score was so impressive, it would have put her on the podium in the men’s event. At the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, Peel made a great start to the event qualifying for finals in first place. In finals performing her spectacular triple somersault jumps in difficult conditions with variable speed, Peel finished fifth in the big final after having trouble landing her final jump. The result equals her performance in 2018 in Pyeongchang four years earlier. In the 2022/2023 season, Peel recorded the eighth World Cup victory of her career in the World Cup event in Le Relais, Canada, The VIS double World Champion was again the only female competitor to jump spectacular triple back somersaults at the Le Relais event, scoring a huge 109.15 points with her lay-full-full, double twisting triple somersault. At the 2023 World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, Laura Peel was unlucky not to make the final round, missing out by one place in seventh after a surprising score of 80.29 on her full-tuck-full triple somersault. In sunny but conditions in Engadin, Switzerland, at the future 2025 World Championship venue overlooking the iconic town of St Moritz, Peel finished in the silver medal position, after scoring 94.65 points on her high degree of difficulty lay-full-full, but unfortunately lost marks on her landing, giving Peel her second World Cup medal of the season. Peel finished the season in the best possible way leading an incredible back-to-back double podium performance for the second week in a row, with Peel and Scott taking home gold and silver at the World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In sunny conditions, Peel was the only female to jump spectacular triple back somersaults in finals, putting down a big score of 110.36 with her lay-full-full jump on the last jump of the day to give her the eighth World Cup victory of her career and a final season ranking of second on the standings. Peel started the 2023-2024 World Cup season strongly, narrowly missing the podium in the opening event of the season in Ruka, Finland, finishing in fourth place. Peel again jumped her spectacular triple back somersault in finals, just falling short of third place by half a point, scoring 76.93 for her super difficult lay-full-full jump. At the following World Cup event in Changchun, China, Peel claimed the 23rd World Cup podium of her career after finishing in third place. In difficult conditions, the three-time Olympian was one of two female athletes to perform spectacular triple back somersaults in the finals, and qualified for the medal round in second place after scoring 96.08 for her lay-tuck-full-triple. In the super-final Peel stepped up her degree of difficulty to perform a lay-full-full jump, but lost points from the judges on her landing, scoring 80.96 points, to finish behind the winner Winter Vinecki of the USA on 94.25 and China’s Fanyu Kong second with 81.42. After China, Peel elected to take a break for the remainder of the 2023-2024 World Cup tour to freshen up in advance of 2026 Olympic qualifying commencing next season. Q & AChildhood Ambition:
Keep having fun Proudest Moment: 2021 World Champion I began this sport .... Because it was two of my favourite things combined Participation in other sports: Gymnastics and skiing were my main sports, but I tried just about everything when I was young. Favourite overseas competition and why: If the weather is good, I'm happy anywhere in the world. Sports Hero: Eliud Kipchoge When I am not training/competing I am: Trying to relax Highest level of education achieved: Currently studying a Master of Professional Accounting LINKS |
AERIAL SKIING ATHLETES
AERIAL SKIING CALENDAR |
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