X Games Aspen 2019 Day 2 Recap – January 25, 2019

As the sun shined over the slopes of Buttermilk Mountain for day two of X Games Aspen 2019, 16-year-old Kelly Sildaru showed no signs of slowing down. The skier added two additional medal wins in Ski Slopestyle and Big Air today, becoming just the third athlete to win three medals in the same event.

“I always have wanted to do all three disciplines and I knew it was going to be hard.  I had super a long day, but I’m happy that is over,” Sildaru said after her time to compete ended.

The Estonian phenom kicked off Friday (January 25) by adding a gold medal in Jeep Women’s Ski Slopestyle to the Ski SuperPipe silver medal she won Thursday night.  With a score of 99.00 in her final run that included a right side cork 900, a leftside 1080 and switch right 1080, Sildaru beat out her opponents by nearly 10 points.

Sarah Hoefflin took silver and Maggie Voisin took bronze. Voisin threw a double in her run, a first for her since the World Cup in Dubai.

“It’s so true to me that when I drop in I want to have fun, cause I love it and I just want to put down the best run I possibly can and inspire people,” Voisin shared.

The Real Cost Men’s Ski Big Air added five more competitors to the final slated for Saturday evening with an elimination today. Canadian Evan McEachran led the pack with a score of 87.00 and a run featuring a leftside 1800 and a right side triple cork.

Jeep Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle also added seven competitors to tomorrow’s final, where four-time X Games medalist Sebastien Toutant took the top spot with a score of 92.66. His run included a cab 1200 and backside triple.

Daniel Bodin took home his second gold in Snowmobile Freestyle, beating out the defending gold medalist Brett Turcotte on his second run, which included a huge tsunami flip, a Cordova flip and a Shaolin backflip.

“Usually my issue is that I go all in from the first run. I always go 110%, so I told myself, Daniel, stay 80%, finish your run, and then look what other guys have, and then pull some cards out of your sleeve for the second run,” Bodin said when asked about choosing his runs for competition.

Turcotte, who will also compete in Wendy’s Snow BikeCross and Snow Bike Best Trick later this weekend, took home silver while six-time X Games medalist Justin Hoyer took bronze.

Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud took home her second gold in Women’s Ski Big Air, throwing a switch leftside double cork. Sildaru returned to the Big Air course to take home her third medal of the event, a bronze with a score of 79.00. Only two other athletes have medaled in three disciplines at the same X Games winter event (Joe Parsons in 2013 and Jennie Waara in 1997).

Johanne Killi found herself on the podium yet again, taking silver.

After a surprise gold medal in his rookie appearance at X Games Norway 2018, 17-year-old Takeru Otsuka proved he’s the new king of Big Air with a repeat gold in The Real Cost Men’s Snowboard Big Air.

Dropping a frontside triple cork 1800 tail grab on his second run, Otsuka added a cab triple 1620 indy grab on his final run to take the gold. The youngest rider in the field, Otsuka bested Big Air podium mainstay Mark McMorris and Sven Thorgren.

“I just had surgery. I just got through the gnarliest event in snowboarding, X Games Big Air. It means the world, I love coming here,” McMorris said after learning he would receive a silver medal in Big Air. “Obviously Big Air is a super progressive sport…to land on the podium feels pretty special.”

The silver medal win was his sixteenth X Games medal in less than 10 years.

X Games Aspen takes on the weekend beginning with Jeep Women’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Adaptive and Para Snow BikeCross, Jeep Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle, Wendy’s Snow BikeCross, Wendy’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck, The Real Cost Men’s Ski Big Air and SoFi Women’s Snowboard SuperPipe. In the afternoon, Chicago-based DJ and production duo Louis the Child continues the music entertainment on the GEICO stage before Grammy Award-winners, The Chainsmokers, close out the evening.

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