Landmark win for Katie

Brighouse snowboarder Katie Ormerod has confirmed herself as one of Great Britain's top medal hopes for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang with a landmark success.
20th September 2013. Winter Olympic hopeful Katies Ormerod from Brighouse at Xscape in Castleford.20th September 2013. Winter Olympic hopeful Katies Ormerod from Brighouse at Xscape in Castleford.
20th September 2013. Winter Olympic hopeful Katies Ormerod from Brighouse at Xscape in Castleford.

The 19-year-old become the first Briton to win a World Cup big air event when successful in the bitter cold of Moscow.

Ormerod, who started the sport as a five-year-old at the dry slope at Ploughcroft, Halifax, edged out Austria’s Anna Gasser for top place.

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With the best two runs from three to count, Ormerod scored 153.75 compared to World Cup leader Gasser’s 153.50.

She landed a backside 720 and front side switch 540 to win the gold.

It was Ormerod’s third World Cup podium placing this season and almost certainly ensures qualification for South Korea in 13 months’ time, when big air will make its Winter Olympics debut.

The top 30 women in the rankings qualify with the top four results to count.

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Ormerod, who missed the Sochi Winter Olympics due to injury, said she was “stoked” by her success in temperatures of minus 29 degrees, by far the coldest she had competed in.

Former Hipper5holme Grammar School pupil Ormerod was in American over Christmas and will be on the road until May. competing and training in Switzerland, America, Italy, Austria, Spain, the Czech Republic and Canada.