After participating in two Winter Olympic Games, winning the 2007 World Championships and standing on the FIS World Cup podium nine times, Canadian Freestyle mogul maven Kristi Richards announced today that she intends to carry on for another quadrennial and shoot for an Olympic medal in Sochi in 2014.
After qualifying fourth for the finals at the Vancouver 2010 Games, Richards crashed in her final mogul run and finished in 20th spot. However, her Games performance inspired many a Canadian fan who lauded her tenacity and sportsmanship when, after her devastating fall, she picked herself up, brushed herself off, and wound the crowd into a frenzy with a huge full-twisting back flip off the bottom jump of the Cypress course.
Already a veteran of the bumps and a leader of her team, in four years time Richards, who is from Summerland, B.C. and now lives in Pemberton, will be 32 — not exactly a youngster for a body pounding sport like mogul skiing.
However, Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO, Peter Judge, said that age is often an advantage in freestyle, especially for women – as long as they stay healthy.
