Kauf Wins, Page Third in Val St. Cöme Dual Moguls
The Stifel U.S. Ski Team moguls athletes are on a roll as Jaelin Kauf grabbed another victory and Nick Page landed on the podium in third at Saturday's FIS Freestyle World Cup dual moguls in Canada.
It was a frigid night in Val St. Côme, Quebec, with temperatures hovering around -3 degrees Fahrenheit. Quebec and Val St. Cöme are known for their freestyle culture, and this World Cup is a favorite to many athletes. The Alexandre Bilodeau course is a perfect mix of fun and challenge, creating exciting events for all involved.
Eight U.S. athletes advanced from the qualification round, including Kylie Kariotis, who made her first-ever World Cup finals by defeating Japan’s Haruka Nakao, who was ranked seventh in the world coming into Saturday's event, in the round of 32. Kai Owens finished 17th, followed by Dylan Marcellini in 27th, Alli Macuga in 28th and Nash Lucas in 29th.
Of the eight who continued on to the round of 16, Page, Kariotis, Olivia Giaccio and Kauf moved on to the quarter-finals. Charlie Mickel finished ninth, Tess Johnson 10th, Kasey Hogg in 11th, and Asher Michel 15th. Kauf took on Hinako Tomitaka (JPN), Giaccio was paired with Rino Yanagimoto (JPN), Kariotis with Perrine Laffont (FRA) and Nick Page alongside Matt Graham (AUS). Kariotis ran into some trouble against Laffont but finished the day eighth, a new personal best. Giaccio and Kauf advanced and went head to head in the semi-finals, the round determining placement for the big and small finals. Kauf won the semi-final 18-17 against Giaccio, the closest a dual can get, sending Kauf to the big final and Giaccio to the small final. Page took on the king, Mikael Kingsbury, who was coming off of another win last night in the moguls event. Kingsbury won 21 to 14; meaning Page was headed to the small final.
In the women’s big final, Kauf was matched against Anastassiya Gorodko (KAZ), who is having quite the season so far. At only 19 years old, this big final would secure her first career World Cup podium. Kauf, known for her speed, continued to push the limits in the bumps, and it was too much for Gorodko to contain, causing her to ski out and DNF. With tonight's result, Kauf earned her 10th World Cup win and continued her podium streak to six in a row. Giaccio took on the current World Cup moguls leader, Laffont, in the small final. Giaccio lost the dual but still finished the day fourth, her best duals result of the season. In the men’s small final, Page battled Filip Gravenfors (SWE). It was an incredible dual with both athletes evenly matched across the board, but in the end, it was Page who took the final spot on the podium, finishing third. This is Page’s best dual moguls result of the season and his eighth career podium. The men’s podium was completed by Kingsbury in first and Ben Cavet (FRA) in second.
“This was super fun tonight,” said Kauf. “She [Gorodko] definitely had me on my toes in there.”
Next up, the best moguls and aerials athletes in the world are heading to Deer Valley for the Super Bowl of Freestyle Skiing - the Intermountain Health Freestyle International presented by Stifel, Feb. 6-8.
