BOKWANG, South Korea (Feb. 20, 2016) – The official Olympic freeskiing slopestyle test event for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games went off smoothly Saturday, where Maggie Voisin (Whitefish, MT) grabbed her first World Cup podium finish with a second-place performance. McRae Williams (Park City, UT) finished seventh for the men and Noah Wallace (Spokane, WA) was 10th.
Voisin, a member of the 2014 U.S. Olympic slopestyle team at just 15 year of age, struggled with injuries throughout the 2014 and 2015 seasons. She returned to competition in 2016 and has been scoring solid results, including fourth place in slopestyle at X Games Aspen and fifth in big air at the Polartec Big Air at Fenway. The second-place finish in PyeongChang marks her best World Cup finish to date.
“I haven’t been on a podium due to injuries for two years now,” Voisin said of her first World Cup podium. “Adding on that it’s the Olympic test event it’s huge, I’m super excited.”
Maggie Voisin takes the podium in South Korea.
Williams almost didn’t compete at all this weekend - he bruised his heel in practice and pulled out of the competition. But the 25-year-old skier from Park City, UT decided to ski through the pain and ended up qualifying second overall.
“I’m pretty happy,” McRae said of his seventh-place finish. “I messed up my heel really bad in practice and pulled out of the competition all together. So to decide to actually go ahead and go for it and qualify for finals was just a blessing to me. I was just happy to be here in the finals.”
McRae is now the overall slopestyle World Cup leader going into the final event of the year in Silvaplana, Switzerland March 5.
Up next for the freeskiers is X Games Oslo, which will feature big air and halfpipe competitions.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Maggie Voisin was second. Her first run scored an 84.60.
- McRae Williams finished seventh for the men and Noah Wallace was 10th.
- The 2016 freeskiing slopestyle FIS World Cup at Bokwang Phoenix Park was the official test event for the 2018 Winter Olympics Games.
QUOTES
Maggie Voisin
I haven’t been on a podium due to injuries for two years now. Adding on that it’s the Olympic test event, it’s huge. I’m super excited. I went in with confidence and hoped for the best so I’m super happy.
McRae Williams
I’m pretty happy. I messed up my heel really bad in practice and pulled out of the competition all together. So to decide to actually go ahead and go for it and qualify for finals was just a blessing to me, I was just happy to be here in the finals. To put down a couple runs with a couple minor bobbles here and there - it was hard to keep it clean all the way through this course. It’s a crazy course.
Just an amazing experience - lots of super-exciting, loving people and definitely a successful test event. I’d say the way this has gone, 2018 is going to be quite an event to see.
RESULTS
Men’s slopestyle
Women’s slopestyle
