Once again the Canadian Air Force was flying high at the FIS World Freestyle Ski Championships Wednesday.
Bidding for a fourth straight World Championship medal, Steve Omischl of Kelowna, B.C. garnered a silver medal and Warren ‘Wookie’ Shouldice of Calgary took bronze in the men’s aerials final.
“I had two really, really nice jumps and I got beat,” said Omischl, whose hometown is North Bay, Ont.
“It’s tough to take, but I don’t know if I can jump much better,” added the 30-year-old, who led by four points after his first of two jumps, but was caught by Ryan St. Onge of the United States.
St. Onge prevailed with a two-jump score of 254.66, to Omischl’s 252.07, to leave Omischl with a World Championship medal collection of gold in 2005, silver in 2009, and bronze in 2007 and 2003.
Though disappointed, Omischl said: “It’s an honour any time you’re on the podium at the World Championships.”
St. Onge was second in this season’s World Cup overall aerials standings behind Omischl, who called St. Onge a hard worker and a great jumper.
“A few people have the potential to win and he’s definitely one of them,” said Omischl.
But the Canadian story of the day was Shouldice who not only climbed from ninth after his opening jump to take third, for his first World Championship medal, with a score of 240.14, but bounced back after a serious crash at in Quebec in January.
