Myrkdalen-Voss, Norway – World Cup Overall champion Hannah Kearney, of Norwich, Vt., capped her season by winning Sunday’s World Cup dual moguls in Myrkdalen-Voss, Norway. It was the ninth win for Kearney in what was a record season as she took both the moguls and overall FIS Freestyle World Cup crowns.nJoining Kearney on Sunday’s podium were Canadians Jenn Heil, of Spruce Grove, Alberta/Montreal, Quebec in second and Montreal’s Justine Dufour-LaPointe third. The men’s podium was Guilbaut Colas of France on top, with Canadians Mikael Kingsbury, of Deux-Montagnes, Quebec in second and Alexandre Bilodeau third. Patrick Deneen, of Cle Elum, Wash., led the U.S. men in fifth.
“It feels incredible,” explained Kearney. “I should set more goals. I wanted to win both the moguls and the overall but I didn’t know I was going to do it by winning nine events. It is really, really satisfying.”
The site of the 2013 World Championships, Voss provided a challenging course for Sunday’s duals. Warm air and high humidity meant snow conditions were constantly changing. Many heats were not decided by the judges, but by which skier could just finish the course.
For the World Cup Moguls Finals, the top ranked skiers dual it out on the moguls course in single elimination competition. There are no qualification runs with pairings based on the skiers’ overall rankings. The U.S. was represented Sunday by five women and five men.
In the women’s competition Kearney and teammate Heather McPhie, of Bozeman, Mont., were the only Americans to pass the first heat. McPhie was edged out in her quarterfinal heat, while Kearney blitzed her quarterfinal and semifinal opponents to set up an epic final dual.
Like a scripted move, it seemed fated for the World Cup Finals to enjoy a matchup as strong as Sunday’s. Kearney faced off against rival Heil, who was in her final World Cup event pending her retirement, in the day’s final dual.
“The course was more difficult after each run,” said Kearney. “Everyone but one person blew out while skiing against me. That was the theme of the day – the strongest person was going stay with it.”
Heil lost control in the middle section of her final run and had to pull out before her second jump, ultimately losing to Kearney. But Heil had no regrets.
“I skied today like I have every run of my career. I laid my heart out on the course,” she said after earning her 58th World Cup medal in 94 career starts.
She mused, “I have nothing left to do on the hill and that’s a beautiful ending for me. I’m so at peace. I know I’ll miss the competition and the privilege of representing Canada around the world, but I’m ready to take my passion for challenging my limits and my potential off the slopes.”
McPhie finished sixth, placing her fifth in the World Cup moguls overall standings. Eliza Outtrim, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., was 10th, Vail, Colo.’s Heidi Kloser 13th and rookie KC Oakley, of Park City, Utah, 16th.
In men’s action, Kingsbury got a little in the back seat and lost in the final round to Colas, the World Cup 2010-11 overall points leader. But it was Kingsbury’s dual with teammate Bilodeau that was the most exciting of the day. It was the fourth time this season that Kingsbury and Bilodeau have gone head-to-head and the first time that Kingsbury managed to prevail over the Olympic Champion.
”Finally I got it,” exclaimed an ecstatic Kingsbury, “I pushed my limits and went really big on my bottom air and it worked.”
The silver was Kingsbury’s 10th medal of the season, including two at World Championships. He said, “My secret is my consistency and the fact that I always feel confident in the start gate. I now know what to do to be on the podium and I work super well with my coach Rob Kober, so the pieces are all coming together and I’m on the right road for 2014.”
Deneen, the only U.S. men’s skier to move beyond the first heat, made the quarterfinals. With his result Sunday in Norway, Deneen ended fourth in the World Cup moguls standings. Jeremy Cota, of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, finished ninth, earning fifth in the World Cup moguls overall. Rounding out the U.S. men were David DiGravio, of Farmington, Maine, in 12th, Telluride, Colo.’s Joe Discoe 13th and Sho Kashima, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 14th.
The Voss event wrapped up the 2011 World Cup season. The U.S. Freestyle Ski Team athletes now head to Stratton Mountain, Vt. for the Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships beginning Thursday.
“We really came together as a team this year,” said U.S. Head Coach Scott Rawles. “Everyone has supported each other throughout the year. It’s been a really great season overall.”
Likewise, the Canadians concluded their best-ever World Cup season. With Saturday’s results, Canada clinched the Freestyle Nations Cup for the fifth year in a row.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Freestyle World Cup
Myrkdalen—Voss, Norway – March 20, 2011
Dual Moguls
Men
1. Guilbaut Colas, France
2. Mikael Kingsbury, Canada
3. Alexandre Bilodeau, Canada
Women
1. Hannah Kearney, Norwich, VT
2. Jennifer Heil, Canada
3. Justine Dufour-LaPointe, Canada