THE CANADIAN PRESS
CHANGCHUN, China — Canadian freestyle skier Veronika Bauer earned a bronze Friday for the 20th World Cup medal of her career.
Windy, snowy conditions forced cancellation of the second round of jumps for the women and the entire men’s aerials event. But one round was enough to determine the female medallists, with the 29-year-old from Toronto earning 88.64 points to finish behind a pair of Australians: Lydia Lassila (92.88) and runner-up Jacqui Cooper (89.14).
Canadian mogul skiers opened the season Friday with three medals, including a gold for Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau of Drummondville, Que.
For Bauer, Friday was a happy return to the circuit after taking part of last season off when she placed no higher than eighth.
"My jumping just kind of crept away on me, and I didn’t know how to fix it." she said. "Near the end, it was a miracle when I did land a jump."
But she said she knew she was ready for this season.
"In my mind, I always believed I was going to do well in China," Bauer said.
Cooper performed a double-twisting double flip, while Lassila showed off a triple-twisting double.
Amber Peterson of Thunder Bay, Ont., and Deidra Dionne of Red Deer, Alta., finished 10th and 11th, respectively, after having trouble with their landings Friday.
The World Cup continues with another aerials event Saturday.