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 Christmas
lead for McKenna in Canada
Lesley McKenna will spend Christmas on the slopes in Europe
safe in the knowledge that she has completed another first for a
British snowsports athlete this season, when she took the overall
lead in the half pipe discipline of the Nokia Snowboard FIS World
Cup tour with a hard won third place late on Saturday night.
The Scot, who proved her superb levels of strength and fitness with
her BBC Superstars win in the summer, was only 1.5 points short
of her second win of the season, and was judged only 0.2 of a point
behind Switzerland's second placed Manuela Pesko. Japan's Soko Yamaoka
won the contest outright, but after a victory in Sweden and ninth
in Whistler McKenna heads the overall standings with a 90 points
margin.
'I am really pleased to be leading the standings, but the good thing
really is that I really feel I can go out now and get some more
wins. This was a real confidence booster here and I know I can go
better' commented McKenna.
Adapted to shorter half pipe
With the half pipe in the Canadian resort slightly shorter than
usual McKenna was required to adapt her usual sequence of tricks.
Having to drop her best points scoring 720 which she usually finishes
her run with she was forced into doing back to back 540's. Accomplishing
this on the second qualifying run her confidence was buoyed and
the contest was tight all the way to the finish.
McKenna said 'I am just exhausted it has been a long hard day and
really any one of the top four girls could have won. It was so,
so close in the end to getting second. The good thing looking forward
is that I have done the back to back 540's now and know I can do
that. If I can do them and finish with the seven (720) then I would
be on to a winner, that no one else is doing. If I could do that
with a nine (the 900 which only McKenna has done in training) then
it would be so cool. Now I feel I am out for wins and want to hang
on to this lead.'
'What is great is that I am really confident in my riding and doing
new tricks. That comes, I think with having done so much different
riding through the summer and not only just riding pipe. I think
that gives me a bit of an edge over the other girls. I am so excited.'
Lesley's next event is at Kreischberg, Austria on 23-24th January,
so the Aviemore rider is guaranteed at least a month on top of the
world.
Results: Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup
Women's Half-Pipe, Stoneham, Canada
1 S Yamaoka (Jpn) 38.5
points
2 M Pesko (Sui) 37.2 points
3 L McKenna (GBR) 37.0 points
4 R Masolini (Ita) 32.5pts
5 M Marbach (Sui) 32.5pts
6 H Kurkinen (Fin) 28.8
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