Aspen, CO – Canada’s Sarah Burke put her recent past behind her Thursday night and reclaimed the women’s halfpipe skiing gold at the Winter X Games in Aspen.nAfter a horrific slopestyle crash resulted in a broken back at X Games 13, Burke, of Whistler, British Columbia, missed the halfpipe podium last year before recapturing her title in 2011. She is the first woman to win halfpipe skiing four times (2007-2009, 2011).

Burke squeaked into the finals with the last qualification spot, only two weeks after her doctor cleared her for competition following shoulder surgery, but threw down the big run when it counted, scoring a 91.33 on her second run en route to the victory.

“I think I’m happier about this win than any other win I’ve had,” said Burke, referring to her comeback.

Behind Burke finished X Games rookie Brita Sigourney, a UC Davis student from Carmel, Calif., and Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Roz Groenewoud. This is only Groenewoud’s second X Games, and the Canadian has already taken home two halfpipe bronze medals. Canada enjoyed a great run on Day One of Winter X Games 15, as Kaya Turski of Montreal claimed gold in Thursday’s women’s slopestyle skiing.

Last year’s halfpipe gold medalist Jen Hudak, of Salt Lake City, Utah, was third after the elimination round Thursday but was unable to defend her title in the finals, finishing fifth after attempting the first 1080 seen in women’s X Games competition on her final run.

The U.S. World Championship Team for halfpipe skiing will be named on Monday, three days before the competition goes down at Park City Mountain Resort on Feb. 3.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
2011 Winter X Games
Aspen, CO – Jan. 27, 2011
Women’s Halfpipe Skiing

1. Sarah Burke, Whistler, BC, Canada, 91.33
2. Brita Sigourney, Carmel, CA, 86.00
3. Roz Groenewoud, Calgary, AB, Canada, 84.00