CALGARY 鈥� The race to win the women鈥檚 freestyle ski halfpipe Crystal Globe went down to the wire on Saturday night at WinSport鈥檚 Canada Olympic Park.
With defending champion Eileen Gu not competing in Calgary due to an injury, fellow Chinese skier Li Fanghui won gold with a run of 90.50 points to finish in a tie for the season-long points title with Zoe Atkin of Great Britain.
鈥淚 knew I could win the gold medal,鈥� said Fanghui after her clutch performance under the lights on WinSport鈥檚 superpipe on an extremely cold night. 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy. Thank you to Calgary. It鈥檚 so cold. I鈥檓 so excited.鈥�
Atkin claimed the silver medal Saturday and a share of the Crystal Globe with Fanghui thanks to her best run of 87.75 points.
Rachel Karker of Guelph, Ont., saved her best for her third and final run on Saturday to edge out Cassie Sharpe of Comox, B.C., for the bronze medal. Karker scored 87.00 points on her final run to narrowly beat Sharpe鈥檚 best score of 86.50.
鈥淚 was really focusing on increasing my amplitude throughout the night and I was really happy with what my third run ended up being,鈥� Karker said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited. I was really trying to take the pressure off myself after a bit of a rough season and this is just great. I ended up on the podium at home, which is wonderful.鈥�
Karker, who won the Crystal Globe in 2023, referred to Fanghui and Atkin tying for this year鈥檚 title as crazy.
鈥淚鈥檓 happy for both of them,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the hardest ones to get because you have to be so consistent throughout the season. It was one of the ones I really wanted to get, so I鈥檓 sure both of them are super, super happy.鈥�
Dillan Glennie of Courtenay, B.C., (71.75) and Calgary鈥檚 Amy Fraser (70.75) finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
On the men鈥檚 side, New Zealand鈥檚 Finley Melville Ives won gold with an impressive run of 92.75 points to earn his first-ever World Cup podium finish.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a surreal experience,鈥� said Melville Ives, who had a fourth-place showing in Calgary last year. 鈥淚 came in really wanting to land my best run that I have been training for so long to do and I just can't believe I managed to put it down.
"I came in with a goal to do that run and I just smashed it out as soon as possible.鈥�
Ives, who referred to himself as half-Canadian, had a boisterous cheering section 鈥� which included several of his cousins 鈥� at the bottom of the hill.
鈥淚 was born in New Zealand, but I have family in Canada,鈥� he explained. 鈥淢y mom鈥檚 dad is Canadian.鈥�
Nick Goepper took silver thanks to his best run of 92.25 points, while fellow American Alex Ferreira, who had already secured the 2025 Crystal Globe, finished third (91.75).
Calgary鈥檚 Brendan Mackay finished as the top Canadian in fifth spot (87.00), while also reaching the Crystal Globe podium in third spot behind Ferreira and Goepper.
Andrew Longino (77.75) finished ninth on the evening, while fellow Calgarians Dylan Marineau (74.25) and Noah Bowman (35.25) placed 11th and 15th, respectively.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2025.
Laurence Heinen, The Canadian Press
