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::SPORTS NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012
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Del Bosco And Duncan Reach Podium In Men’s Ski Cross At X
Games
Source:
www.thestar.com - Stephanie Findlay
(Jan 29, 2012) ASPEN, COLO.—Ski cross world champion
Christopher
Del Bosco won gold at the
Winter X Games
on Sunday while Canadian teammate Dave Duncan took the bronze.
Del Bosco, a Montreal resident, took the lead midway through the
men’s Skier X final and held on to win in one minute 20.589
seconds.
“It’s amazing, this is my favourite event,” Del Bosco said in a
statement. “I’ve had an up-and-down season and this one was the
big one on my list. So to come in and grab gold is pretty
special.”
Finland’s Jouni Pellinen got out to an early lead, but Del Bosco
used the inside line on the first turn to move to the front of
the pack.
The Canadian found himself in the bronze-medal position but
again found the inside line for a big pass on the triple to take
the lead across the finish line.
“This course is set up really well for me,” said Del Bosco. “I
knew the triple was one of the spots where I could make a move
if I needed to make something happen. I kind of set it up a
couple of turns before.”
Filip Flisar of Slovenia was second in 1:20.730 and Duncan, from
London, Ont., was third in 1:20.814.
Del Bosco also won the event at the 2010 X Games.
Canada also won gold in Mono Skier X as Samson Danniels of
Whistler, B.C., blew past the competition.
Danniels finished ahead of American Gregory Peck with a time of
1:51.977. Peck won silver in 1:52.612, while Josh Dueck of
Vernon, B.C., took bronze.
“Oh my god, it doesn’t even feel real,” Danniels said. “This is
unbelievable.”
Danniels passed Peck for the lead near the final turn.
“I just came out and gave it everything I got and skied hard,”
Danniels said. “I blew up a ski this week in practice and I’m
using a ski that isn’t even mine. I can’t believe it. This goes
out to my friends back home in Whistler.”
Mono Skier X is open to disabled or adaptive athletes. The
adaptive skiers race over a course of tabletop jumps, banked
turns, rollers and gaps using a sit ski.
A mono ski is a bucket seat fastened to a metal chassis that is
shock-mounted on a single alpine ski. Athletes use hand
outriggers for balance while racing.
Danniels became a paraplegic after a mountain bike accident and
is paralyzed from the armpits down.
Earlier, Marielle Thompson of Whistler settled for fifth place
in the women’s Skier X final. She had the lead at one point in
the race but slid out about halfway down the hill.
Marte Gjefsen won gold in 1:26.877 and fellow Norwegian Hedda
Berntsen took the silver in 1:27.792.
Jenny Owens of Australia took the bronze in 1:29.055. |
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::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::
