Peel and Qi serial Aerials winners at Lac-Beauport
Jan 26, 2025·Freestyle)
Conditions were wildly different on the second day of Aerials competition at Lac-Beauport, but there were no changes to the victors.
Laura Peel (AUS) and Qi Guangpu (CHN), winners the day before, were again the top performers as they picked up back-to-back victories.
Peel defies nerves and conditions for repeat win
In the women’s contest, Peel was head and shoulders above the field. The Australian, in red-hot form at the moment, executed yet another back full-full-full to score 102.17 points for first place.
She was the only one in the women’s field on Sunday to go over the 100-point milestone. Her nearest competitor, Karenna Elliott (USA), took second place with 87.42 points.
Airleigh Frigo (AUS) marked her first World Cup podium, scoring 76.85 points to finish third.
The trio stood out in a superfinal field that was missing reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtao (CHN) and last season’s Crystal Globe winner Danielle Scott (AUS), both of whom missed the cut for the final six.
It was telling of the tricky conditions on the days, something that rattled even Peel. Said the two-time world champion: “I feel relieved. It’s been all kinds of weather and it’s hard to stay calm up there and trust yourself.
“I just tried to do that. This was not quite as clean as yesterday, but I’m still super happy.”
Even with the constant changing conditions, Peel stuck to her game plan to attempt jumps with a high degree of difficulty.
She said: “I had my plan from the beginning. I didn’t want to change it. I wanted to be able to execute those jumps in all conditions. The difficulty will ramp up going into the (Milan-Cortina 2026) Games, and I want to be ready.”
“It’s been some really early mornings and long days. I’ll relax for a couple of days, get some good sleep, and get back to work.”
Qi keeps cool to keep Nadeau at bay
Meanwhile, the men’s superfinal was once again proof of China’s depth and quality – four out of the top six were Chinese.
In the face of heavy snowfall, strong winds and low visibility at times, reigning Olympic champion Qi’s experience showed.
He executed a back full-full-full to score 110.56 points and take top spot. Compatriot Wang Xindi (CHN) followed with a 105.88 effort at a back double full-full-full.
Home favourite Emile Nadeau (CAN), who pulled off the top scores in qualifying and Final 1, took third place with 95.98 points.
“Today was a big challenge for us,” said Qi. “At the top, we couldn’t come in, there was too much snow, it was very windy and it made things very difficult for us.”
“Everyone wanted to do well. I won by just this much. It was very difficult.”
With Peel and Qi now leading the World Cup standings, Aerials competition will continue at the Deer Valley stop from 6-8 February.
QUICK LINKS
Lac-Beauport World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc)
Photos: Aerials
