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Posted on Monday February 8th at 3:43 p.m.
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"This is my first time at the Canadian Open and I am just stoked to be here," said Brown right after her final run of the day.
"I tried to go big and smooth and all in all it was a pretty good day. It was a great competition and it was so awesome to have such a good pipe and so much time to train over the week. I will definitely be back next year."
Brown with a winning smile Photo: Stef Zeestraten
Brown’s winning run Photo: Stef Zeestraten
Brown tops the podium Photyo Stef Zeestraten
It was a picturesque day in Calgary for the internationally diverse field of riders who were competing for a piece of the $25,000 prize purse in the 5-Star Ticket-to-Ride (TTR) event, the tour's highest rating.
It was also a day that was dominated by Olympians. Six Olympians from four countries swept the podium.
The women were first to drop and Brown took the top spot in semis with a run that started out with an alley-oop tai-pan, followed by back-to-back 540's, into a stylish method, finishing with a difficult air to fakie melon, which scored her an impressive 88.17.Bray was also in action in the finals but was unable to repeat the strong riding she exhibited in the semi finals and finished the day in seventh place.
Four of New Zealand's national snowboard slopestyle team members competed in the men's slopestyle event yesterday but, after what they deemed a rough day in the semi-finals, they were unsuccessful in their bid for the finals.
Brown is looking forward to heading to Vancouver later this week where she will compete at her second Winter Olympic Games on the 18th of February.
Brown and Bray will be joined by teammates Rebecca Sinclair, Mitchell Brown and James Hamilton in Vancouver to form the strongest kiwi snowboard contingent gathered at a Winter Olympics.
"We are proud of the kiwi's performance today in Calgary and are confident that the team is ready for the big show in Vancouver," commented New Zealand Snowboard Team Coach Tom Willmott, who also praised the work of his assistant coach, Michael Bell.