For the second time in as many weeks, Chloe Kim took home a first place finish in an Aspen halfpipe.
Kim launched a frontside double cork 1080 on her way to a score of 96.50 at the Toyota US Grand Prix at Aspen Buttermilk over the weekend. It proved to be enough to land the twelfth World Cup gold medal of her career. Kim failed to complete her two runs that followed. It didn’t matter.
Korean rider Gaon Choi finished in second place with a score of 88.75, and Sara Shimizu took the bronze medal with an 85.25.
Kim also won the Laax Open in Switzerland two weeks ago. The two-time Olympian now sits in second place overall in the FIS World Cup Halpipe standings. The only rider ahead of her? Teammate Maddie Mastro.
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Mastro, who finished with a silver medal both in Laax and at X Games just a week before, just missed the podium with a fourth place finish. Her score of 84 was far ahead of the next rider in the field, Sonora Alba, who finished in fifth.
In men’s halfpipe, the Japanese swept the podium. Ruka Hirano was able to climb from last place to first in his third run of the day to land a score of 93.25. Ryusei Yamada grabbed the top spot early with a score of 88.25 after he was the only rider able to put down a clean run at first. Ayumu Hirano was then able to overtake him for a second place. Yamada finished in third, while Japanese teammate Yuto Totasuka and Scotty James finished in fourth and fifth place.
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Americans Lucas Foster and Chase Josey finished in sixth and seventh place.
On the slopestyle side of things, Frank Jobin stayed hot after his street style gold medal finish at X Games just a week before. Jobin held off China’s Su Yiming to hold on to the top spot with a 79.30. American Sean FitzSimons hit a switch backside 1620 melon in his second run en route to a third place finish.
X Games Big Air winner Ogiwara Hiroto finished in sixth place with a 69.21, and American Fynn Bullock-Womble finished behind him in seventh with a 65.60.
For the women Zoi Sadowski-Synnott won her second slopestyle gold medal in as many weeks. She landed consecutive double cork 1080s in her first run, and laid down a cab 270 boardslide 450 and frontside double cork weddle grab to jump to atop the leaderboard with an 87.80.
Kokomo Murase and Mia Brookes finished in second and third place, respectively.