Ayumu Hirano and Chloe Kim lay down Olympic markers at Laax Open in Switzerland, Shaun White shines
BySportsbeat
Updated 15/01/2022 at 22:35 GMT
Ayumu Hirano and Chloe Kim set the standard in Switzerland while Shaun White returns to the podium after a four-year absence. For the first time since PyeongChang 2018, all three reigning Olympic medallists - Hirano, Scott James and White - were taking part in the same halfpipe competition and it was the in-form Japanese star who laid down a marker in Switzerland.
Ayumu Hirano lors des JO de Pyeongchang
Image credit: Getty Images
Ayumu Hirano showcased his Olympic intentions by claiming victory in Saturday's eagerly-anticipated Laax Open halfpipe.
For the first time since PyeongChang 2018, all three reigning Olympic medallists - Hirano, Scott James and Shaun White - were taking part in the same halfpipe competition and it was the in-form Japanese star who laid down a marker in Switzerland.
The 23-year-old, a silver medallist at the last two Olympics, took victory after scoring 93.25 on his first run - a score that could not be beaten as he closed out his second successive FIS World Cup halfpipe success to take the overall crown in the discipline.
Switzerland's Jan Scherrer took silver for the second time this season while White finished third, the American returning to the podium for the first time since winning gold in North Korea four years ago.
Back-to-back 1080s and his signature Double McTwist 1260 were part of an opening run that scored an 84 and all but booked the 35-year-old's place on the plane to Beijing as part of the American squad.
It was a tougher outing for James, who fell on both his runs and finished 11th.
The women's halfpipe was won impressively by Chloe Kim, who looks well set to retain the gold she took home from PyeongChang.
The 21-year-old produced two 1080s in her first run, which resulted in a score of 90.25 and proved enough for a sixth straight win since Kim returned to the board - the 21-year-old having taken a near two-year break after her Olympic triumph.
Japan's Mitsuki Ono was second on 89 points, with Spain's Queralt Castellet taking third on 80.
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