Omischl wins gold, dominates freestyle aerials season. Shouldice gets silver.

DAVOS, Switzerland, March 7, 2008 – Steve Omischl of Kelowna, B.C., had already wrapped up the third overall World Cup aerials title, but he added special icing to the crown Friday.

Steve Omischl and Warren Shouldice

In one of the most spectacular seasons ever by a World Cup aerialist, Omischl won his sixth of nine World Cups while missing the podium only once (he also won a bronze and a silver).

Omischl took gold and Warren Shouldice of Calgary the silver medal, after they went 1-2 respectively in the morning’s first round. They had spectacular scores of 131 and 130, before maintaining their positions in the second round.

The victory came, however, after a potentially fatal anaphylactic attack the night before, after Omischl ate a multi-grain bun that contained traces of nuts.

Returning to the hotel and already swelling up, he received the proper medication from team doctor Doug Nottebrock of Kelowna to avoid a trip to the hospital.

The next day it was back to business in the airways, as Omischl, 29, won the World Cup final with a two-jump score of 253.96. Shouldice, 24, edged out two-time Olympic medallist Dmitri Dashinski of Belarus, 250.75 to 250.47, for the silver medal.

“We killed it,” said Omischl of the Canadian gold-silver finish. “Huge scores and we earned them,” he said of the quad-twisting triple somersaults performed by both Canadians in the first round.

“It was probably one of the nicest jumps in my career, and the same for Warren.”

Being the last to jump and with Shouldice leading, Omischl knew it would be a Canadian win.

“I knew Canada had won so it was so easy to relax,” said Omischl of the jump that clinched the 18th World Cup victory of his career. “As soon as I know Canada has won, I relax. It’s such a proud feeling that our team has done the job.”

The week before, Omischl, whose hometown is North Bay, Ont., clinched his third World Cup overall men’s aerials title, to win the crystal globe. “Steve had a dream season,” remarked Shouldice.

For Shouldice, it was his second World Cup medal in a season spent without world-class teammates Kyle Nissen of Calgary and Ryan Blais of Grande Prairie, Alta. Each were sidelined with injuries.
It was also the seventh World Cup podium of Shouldice’s career.
“This is definitely one of my most memorable podiums,” said Shouldice, who also finished sixth in the season’s overall standings.

In Friday’s women’s aerials final, victory went to Evelyne Leu of Switzerland in the absence of Jacqui Cooper of Australia who had already clinched the overall women’s aerials title.
Leu scored 207.14, leaving Lydia Lassila of Australia second in 198.62 and Alla Tsuper of Belarus third in 182.85. No Canadian women were competing.

posted March 7, 2008