Another Strong Finish for Murphy in China

CHONGLI, China (Feb. 24, 2017) – It was an exciting day of competition at Thaiwoo Ski Resort as the best mogul skiers in the world tried out a new course and laid it all on the line in the final singles competition of the season. Troy Murphy (Bethel, ME) was the top U.S. finisher, landing just off the podium in fourth.

Murphy, along with the rest of the U.S. team, embraced the challenge of learning the new course in Thaiwoo. Murphy qualified eighth going into finals, where he skied a strong run to advance to the super final. His sights were set on the podium, but a small mistake on one of his turns put it just out of reach.

“It was an interesting course,” said Murphy. “The jumps were really good, and the moguls are definitely tighter than we’re used to. I felt confident going into today - my finals run was really clean and my jumps were super solid. I’m just really happy with my consistency right now.”

With six top-10 finishes to his name this season, Murphy continues to be one of the most consistent skiers on the U.S. team. His finish on Saturday puts him in a good spot heading into Sunday’s duals competition as well as the World Championships in Spain.

“Murphy was on lockdown all day,” stated head moguls coach Matt Gnoza. “He had an outstanding middle section and huge jumps in his finals run. He was absolutely skiing for that podium and, as long as he sticks to his plan and keeps executing, he’ll get there.”

The U.S. women advanced all six competitors into the finals. Jaelin Kauf (Alta, WY) and K.C. Oakley (Piedmont, CA) broke through to the super finals, but had trouble exciting their jumps. They finished fifth and sixth respectively.

“All of our ladies skied great runs, coming from the middle of the pack, to make finals,” said Gnoza. “We continue to see impressive stuff from our young skiers. Both Jaelin and K.C. were charging to win today. We have some good momentum going into tomorrow.”

France’s Perinne Laffont took the win for the women. Joining her on the podium was Canada’s Justine Dufour-LaPointe in second and Australia’s Britt Cox in third. On the men’s side, Mikael Kingsbury was once again victorious while a pair of Aussie’s, Brodie Summers and Matt Graham, finished second and third.

Competition at Thaiwoo concludes on Sunday with dual moguls. The men’s and women’s crystal globes, as well as the FIS Rookie of the Year award, will be presented after the competition.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Troy Murphy was the top U.S. athlete in the moguls World Cup at Thaiwoo Ski Resort, finishing fourth.
• It was his sixth top-10 finish of the season.
• Jaelin Kauf and K.C. Oakley led the U.S. women with fifth and sixth place finishes.
• The U.S. team advanced all six female competitors to the finals.
• The World Cup season concludes at Thaiwoo on Feb. 26 with dual moguls.

QUOTES
Troy Murphy
It was an interesting course. The jumps were really good, and the moguls are definitely tighter than we’re used to. I felt confident going into today - my finals run was really clean and my jumps were super solid. I’m just really happy with my consistency right now.

Matt Gnoza
Murphy was on lockdown all day. He had an outstanding middle section and huge jumps in his finals run. He was absolutely skiing for that podium and, as long as he sticks to his plan and keeps executing, he’ll get there.

All of our ladies skied great runs, coming from the middle of the pack, to make finals. We continue to see impressive stuff from our young skiers. Both Jaelin and K.C. were charging to win today. We have some good momentum going into tomorrow.

RESULTS
Men’s Results
Women’s Results
Men’s World Cup Standings
Women’s World Cup Standings