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Melancon, Ricker are the top Canadians

It was cold. Damn cold.

It was cold. Damn cold.

While anyone sensible took heed of Sunday’s frostbite warning and retired to the lodge for the rest of the day, competitors at the Nokia FIS World Cup threw on an extra layer and attacked the 16-foot walls of a near perfect halfpipe.

Magnus Sterner of Sweden ran away with the men’s competition after an incredible first run in the finals. "It was just great today," said the 21-year-old, who was ranked in seventh after Saturday’s qualifier. "I was not confident to make it since there were three other Swedes in the final and the Japanese were so strong. I didn’t know what to expect. My frontside Haakon (inverted switch 720) was pretty big and probably did a lot to get me there but a judge doesn’t refer to one trick only, it’s the entire run that counts."

After the qualifier, Stefan Karlsson, Markus Jonsson and Daniel Nordin of Sweden were sitting comfortably in the top three spots. Sterner, who came up big at the finals last year after the top two Swedes in that contest were injured, has a history of clutch performances.

Almost as surprising as Karlsson’s come-from-behind victory were the from-out-of-nowhere performances of Japan’s Daisuke Murakami, just 17, and Nakai Takahura, just 16, to finish second and third.

"This halfpipe really suits me a lot," said Murakami. "I just regarded it as a good friend. You could get good speed and the walls were pretty high – the best of I have seen so far.

Blackcomb’s snowmaking and grooming teams worked overtime to get the pipe into World Cup condition before the event, and everyone from the judges to the riders gave them credit.

Two Canadian riders, David Melancon and Gabriel Authier, managed to stomp their way into the finals. Both are from Quebec and are originally and part of the 418 Crew, named after the area code of their home ski hills. In the finals, Melancon finished seventh and Authier finished ninth.

Melancon, 24, has been in Whistler for five years, and is probably best known as the Showcase Snowboards poster boy. Last year he won the Showcase Showdown halfpipe competition and finished third in the quarterpipe. This was his first ever World Cup halfpipe competition.

"At first I wasn’t even supposed to go. I put my name on the waiting list, not expecting anything, but then I got a call on Friday morning to say that I was in," said Melancon.

"I just went and rode and did my best. I wasn’t worrying about the cameras, just trying to do well and have my fun."

Melancon concentrated on what he does best: taking huge air and spinning 720s. He is happy with a seventh place finish, and after taking a look at the competition and the judging he says it was a good learning experience for future competitions.

"That made me confident for the rest of the season," said Melancon. "I’m stoked, it’s a good beginning. One more pipe like that and I’m going to earn a berth at the Olympics."

Because of his strong performance, Melancon was given a national team spot at Mont Ste. Anne in Quebec this weekend and with it a chance to clinch an Olympic berth before the tour breaks for Christmas. "That’s what I’m definitely going for. I wasn’t supposed to be here, and I wound up as the top-ranked Canadian. I feel good right now."

With new sponsors banging on his door the day after the competitions, he says he will have a better board and some new clothes for that competition.

"I’ll go for more air, and more grabs, and maybe some flips too. The judges like that."

Authier, just 22, is a rookie on the national team but big things are expected in the future. Like Melancon, he is an aggressive rider who has his sights set on the 2002 Winter Olympics.

By making it into the 10-rider finals, both athletes managed to earn one of the two top-16 finishes required by the FIS to earn your country one spot in the Olympics. If too many Canadians earn Olympic berths (up to four spots for men and four for women) the final selection will be decided by total FIS points. Either way, it was a strong start to the season.

In the women’s event, it was another Scandinavian followed by some strong Japanese riders.

Stine Kjeldaas of Norway won the qualifier and the contest. She managed to rack up more than enough points on her first run in the finals to compensate for a fall on her second run.

"The pipe was really good and it was a lot of fun riding it," said Kjeldaas. "It was just a bit too cold today but I managed to stay pretty warm. I tried to improve in the second, go a bit higher, but the snow was really cold so it was hard to get the speed I needed. I knew that I won when I was standing on the top, so I thought I’d just go for it, and then I fell. It didn’t matter so it was okay."

Michiyo Hashimoto and Nagako Mori of Japan finished second and third with some incredibly smooth riding and well-landed spins.

The top Canadian in fifth place was Maëlle Ricker, who won this event and the snowboardcross last year. She was the only Canadian to make the finals with a strong second run in the qualifiers. Natasza Zurek finished ninth overall. Both riders will be in Quebec this weekend, looking to earn some more prize money and their own Olympic berths.