Cox opens mogul season with world cup win

Two-time Olympian and NSWIS athlete Britteny Cox has delivered Australia’s best-ever women’s moguls world cup result by winning gold in magnificent style in the season’s opener in Ruka, Finland.

Cox improved her performances throughout the day, finishing the first qualifying run 26th, before moving up to 11th in the second qualifying run. In the finals the 22-year-old moved into the top spot after the first finals run, a position that she held in the superfinal.
Execution, speed and detail were all on show as Cox skied a brilliant run to score 73.81 in the final ahead of Perrine Laffont (FRA) close behind on 73.13 and Keaton McCargo (USA) on 71.78.

“I am so excited to kick off the season with my first world cup win. This has been a goal of mine for quite some time now and it’s very satisfying to finally climb to the top of the podium,” Cox told the OWIA media team.

“I made a big mistake in my first qualification run so I knew I needed to execute a nice clean and tidy run in the second quals to get back in the game. Once I reached the finals I found my gear and let my training come through.”
Meanwhile fellow Australian and NSWIS star Matt Graham was runner-up in the corresponding men’s event behind Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury.

Another NSWIS competitor, Rohan Chapman Davies qualified for the final and then finished with a PB in 14th place.

Cox said she was elated with the combined results of Graham and herself.

“Sharing the podium with a team mate makes it even more special. It’s a very proud moment to be there with Matt, and makes it even more special.”
“The whole team, including the coaches and OWIA support staff worked really well together here and I’m really grateful for the support we have, which gives me confidence for the rest of the season.”

This is the first time that Australians have been first and second in the same World Cup event, a result which delights OWIA CEO, Geoff Lipshut.
“Statistically, this morning’s results have been the OWIA’s best ever moguls day,” Lipshut declared.

In other winter sports action for NSWIS athletes, Sami Kennedy-Sim and Anton Grimus had a tough start to their world cup seasons in Val Thorens, neither able to make it out of their heats. On the second day of competition the pair failed to advance in their respective quarterfinal and heats.

The duo now moves to Arosa, Switzerland for the next World Cup that starts on Monday night ADST.

At Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, NSWIS’ teenage sensation Emily Arthur was fourth in the women’s halfpipe in the opening round of the 2017 U.S Revolution Tour.

In the men’s event, Nate Johnstone finished in eighth.