Bakuriani 2023 closes with Ledeux and Podmilsak golds in mind-blowing big air showcase

“It’s just a dream come true and I can’t believed,” said an overjoyed Ledeux from the finish area, “I had a really bad crash in slopestyle, so taking the win in big air makes me just so, so happy.

“Before dropping in on my last run the pressure was so high, so I’m just super stoked I was able to land my last trick. It was the first time I landed it in competition so it’s pretty amazing.”

Second place, the silver medal, and the first of two Norwegian podiums on the day went to 27-year-old Sandra Eie, who came into finals as a long-shot for the podium before throwing down some of the most stylish tricks of the competition to claim a first career World Championships medal.

With a left double cork 1260 mute on run one and a right double cork 1080 Japan on run two, Eie would earn a score of 175.00 and the biggest podium result of her career on the biggest stage of the season.

Rounding out the podium in third place and claiming the bronze medal was Canada’s Megan Oldham, who came into competition as one of the favourites after landing the first-ever women’s triple cork on her way to winning X Games big air gold a few weeks ago.

While Oldham wouldn’t attempt the triple here in Georgia, with a left double cork 1080 mute on run one and a switch left double cork 1080 Japan on run two, the 21-year-old did more than enough to earn her second medal of the Bakuriani 2023 World Championships and the third World Champs medal of her career.

18-YEAR-OLD PODMILSAK STOMPS FIRST 2160 IN FIS COMPETITION FOR GOLD

Over on the men’s side of things it was an absolutely dizzying display of skiing from the 10 skiers qualified to finals, and as with the women the Bakuriani men’s finals should go down as one of the greatest of all time.

The best amongst all of the unbelievable runs put down on Saturday came from Troy Podmilsak of the USA, as the 18-year-old snuck into finals in the last qualification spot and then blew all expectations out of the water with runs that even had the judges momentarily flummoxed.

Podmilsak kicked things off with a switch right double bio 1980 safety in the very first run of the men’s finals, sitting the bar and earning himself a score of 91.25 to start out strong.

In his second run Podmilsak blew the roof off of the competition, putting down a right triple cork 2160 mute that was so clean and so smooth that the judges originally scored at as an 1800.

Upon further review it became clear the the US freeski rookie had indeed become the first skier ever to land a forward triple 2160 in competition, and the 96.50 score he received reflected this by being the highest of the day for any athlete, giving him a two-jump score of 187.75 and the Bakuriani 2023 big air gold medal.