Freeski Slopestyle

Swiss Skiers Dominate Women's Freeski Slopestyle

American Maggie Voison finished fourth while teammate Devin Logan, a silver medalist in Sochi, took 10th

Switzerland's Sarah Hoefflin and Mathilde Gremaud won gold and silver, respectively on Saturday in the women's freeski slopestyle at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

Isabel Atkin of Great Britain took the bronze.

American Maggie Voison finished fourth, while her teammate Devin Logan finished 10th.

Voisin and Logan were among the 12 skiiers to make the final. Two Americans, Darian Stevens and Caroline Claire, failed to qualify. 

Voisin's first trip to the Olympics, four years ago, didn't play out quite the way she likely envisioned it.

But like many athletes, her experience of walking into the Opening Ceremony in Sochi was an unforgettable moment — in spite of the injury that had happened earlier that day.

"I kind of held off telling my parents that I broke my ankle," Voisin said. "Before you go into Opening Ceremonies you're walking around for, like, two hours before you get onto the stage. So I ditched my crutches, which is probably not a good idea, and I walked into Opening Ceremonies on a broken ankle. But I remember the emotion from the day. We came out from the floor and it was the most unreal feeling in the world."

Voisin stuck around in Sochi even though she was unable to compete. Traversing around on crutches, she went to bobsled events and hockey games. As a 15-year-old, she was especially thrilled to discover a game room in the Olympic Village.

"I didn't know if I was going to get another opportunity," she said. "[I] just kind of [wanted to] be grateful that I was there and I could experience it. I mean, I was 15 years old. Not a lot of people can say they went to the Olympics at 15. So I stayed there and just kind of took in the whole experience."

Women's freeskiing has progressed immensely in recent years, and it's young skiers like Voisin who are leading the charge. So it's no surprise that she ended up back at the Olympics this year.

The athlete who has dominated women's slopestyle in recent years is Kelly Sildaru, a 15-year old from Estonia. But she's sidelined with a knee injury this season, which has left the field wide open for the Olympics.

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