By USSA

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. -– Brita Sigourney (Carmel) gained ground on Maddie Bowman (South Lake Tahoe) in the U.S. Olympic qualification standings after her victory in Friday’s halfpipe final at the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix Series.

Sigourney and Bowman took first and second in the FIS World Cup event with Marie Martinod of France in third.

Sigourney led with a score of 85.00 after a solid first run and Bowman couldn’t match it, remaining in second place throughout the competition. Sigourney put down her second run and finished with an 86.6.

Devin Logan (West Dover, Vt.) took the next spot for the USA in fourth, pushing her up to fourth in the qualification standings. Logan was given the FIS World Cup yellow bib as she is the World Cup points leader in halfpipe so far this season after her results Friday and at the New Zealand World cup event. Logan also competed in the slopestyle qualifier Friday but did not to qualify for the final.

Bowman and Sigourney met the minimum Olympic qualification criteria Friday by earning their second top-three finish, but with three qualification events to go, the race for the Olympic team is far from over.

Cold temperatures and falling snow made for challenging conditions, slowing down the athletes in the halfpipe and making it difficult to transition between tricks.

Sigourney’s winning run: Alley-oop Japan, leftside 900, alley-oop 540, leftside 540, rightside 540 and 720 tail.

Bowman’s second run: Rightside 900, leftside 540 mute, straight-air mute, cork leftside 900, rightside 720 and switch 540.

The next stop in the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix tour is Breckenridge Jan 8-12. The event was relocated from Northstar.