Dara Howell wins big at World Cup Big Air competition

Freestyle skier Dara Howell went big to end the season and it paid off big time.

The Sochi Olympics gold medallist took to the skies in Quebec City on March 24 for the final competition of the freeski World Cup 2017/18 season. The FIS Big Air Freeski World Cup was held at Îlot Fleurie, a park beneath the Dufferin-Montmorency highway in Quebec City’s Lower Town district, on a 40-metre high and 110-metre long ramp.

Howell typically competes in slopestyle competitions and had been training hard in the lead up to the PyeongChang Olympics in February where she dropped a ski on the landing of a difficult jump, ending her chances at a second gold medal.

She was up against some of her fellow Olympians for the Big Air competition in Quebec City—her first—and once again gave it her all, this time rising to the top of the field.

“Patience & A little Faith!” she wrote on her Instagram feed. “Haven’t been on top of the podium in a very long time. All the feels ☺ Head down, work hard, stay humble has been something I’ve told myself over and over all season and finally it paid off.” In a separate post she thanked “those who haven’t given up on me.”

She was joined on the podium by Silvia Bertagna from Italy in second and fellow Canadian Megan Cressey in third.

A post shared by darahowell (@darahowell) on Mar 26, 2018 at 3:15pm PDT

Big Air could become an official Olympic discipline for the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, according to Freestyle Canada.

“It means everything to me to end the season with a win,” Howell said in a Freestyle Canada release. “Just to come out here and have no pressure for the Big Air and walk away with the win means everything to me. This is my first Big Air event and I hope there is more of these events in the future for me…”

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