Chinese skier Fanghui wins halfpipe event in Calgary as Canadian Rachel Karker takes bronze

China's Fanghui Li, left, and Great Britain's Zoe Atkin celebrate tying for the over all World Cup points title following the women's World Cup freeski halfpipe event in Calgary, Alta., Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The race to win the women’s freestyle ski halfpipe Crystal Globe went down to the wire on Saturday night at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park.

With defending champion Eileen Gu not competing in Calgary due to an injury, fellow Chinese skier Li Fanghui won gold with a run of 90.50 points to finish in a tie for the season-long points title with Zoe Atkin of Great Britain.

“I knew I could win the gold medal,” said Fanghui after her clutch performance under the lights on WinSport’s superpipe on an extremely cold night. “I’m so happy. Thank you to Calgary. It’s so cold. I’m so excited.”

Atkin claimed the silver medal Saturday and a share of the Crystal Globe with Fanghui thanks to her best run of 87.75 points.

Rachel Karker of Guelph, Ont., saved her best for her third and final run on Saturday to edge out Cassie Sharpe of Comox, B.C., for the bronze medal. Karker scored 87.00 points on her final run to narrowly beat Sharpe’s best score of 86.50.

“I was really focusing on increasing my amplitude throughout the night and I was really happy with what my third run ended up being,” Karker said. “I’m so excited. I was really trying to take the pressure off myself after a bit of a rough season and this is just great. I ended up on the podium at home, which is wonderful.”

Karker, who won the Crystal Globe in 2023, referred to Fanghui and Atkin tying for this year’s title as crazy.

“I’m happy for both of them,” she said. “It’s one of the hardest ones to get because you have to be so consistent throughout the season. It was one of the ones I really wanted to get, so I’m sure both of them are super, super happy.”

Dillan Glennie of Courtenay, B.C., (71.75) and Calgary’s Amy Fraser (70.75) finished in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

On the men’s side, New Zealand’s Finley Melville Ives won gold with an impressive run of 92.75 points to earn his first-ever World Cup podium finish.

“It’s such a surreal experience,” said Melville Ives, who had a fourth-place showing in Calgary last year. “I came in really wanting to land my best run that I have been training for so long to do and I just can’t believe I managed to put it down.

“I came in with a goal to do that run and I just smashed it out as soon as possible.”

Ives, who referred to himself as half-Canadian, had a boisterous cheering section — which included several of his cousins — at the bottom of the hill.

“I was born in New Zealand, but I have family in Canada,” he explained. “My mom’s dad is Canadian.”

Nick Goepper took silver thanks to his best run of 92.25 points, while fellow American Alex Ferreira, who had already secured the 2025 Crystal Globe, finished third (91.75).

Calgary’s Brendan Mackay finished as the top Canadian in fifth spot (87.00), while also reaching the Crystal Globe podium in third spot behind Ferreira and Goepper.

Andrew Longino (77.75) finished ninth on the evening, while fellow Calgarians Dylan Marineau (74.25) and Noah Bowman (35.25) placed 11th and 15th, respectively.

-- Laurence Heinen

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2025.