Park City aerialist Kaila Kuhn wrapped up her eighth World Cup season on Monday in Lake Placid, New York, with her first win.
Kuhn landed a full-full-full jump, earning her a 105.60 score in what was Lake Placid’s second women’s aerials competition. She let out a resigned thumbs up and half-smile with three competitors left to jump. When it was revealed Kuhn had sealed the win, she celebrated with her team as the home crowd applauded.
China’s Xu Mengtao nearly toppled Kuhn’s winning score, posting a 105.17 herself. Australia’s Danielle Scott, who posted a 85.65 score before Kuhn jumped, finished in third place. Fellow Park City aerialist Kyra Dossa was the only other American to make the final round on Monday on the women’s side, finishing in 12th place.
On the men’s side on Monday, no American men advanced to the finals. In Sunday’s competitions, Park City aerialist Derek Krueger finished just off the podium in fourth place, and Kuhn finished in third place behind Scott then Mengtao. Monday’s competitions were added to the Lake Placid schedule to replace the Deer Valley World Cup, previously scheduled for this week.
“I can’t describe this feeling at all,” Kuhn said after her win on Monday to FIS, the international governing body for professional skiing. “World championships gave me the confidence that it took to go out and do this jump today.”
In March’s world championships in Switzerland, Kuhn swept both the individual and mixed team aerials gold medals.
With her podium finish and win in Lake Placid, Kuhn punched her ticket to her second-straight Olympics in Milan. She finished in eighth place in the aerials competition at the 2022 Beijing Games. Kuhn joins boyfriend Quinn Dehlinger, Winter Vinecki and Chris Lillis as aerialists qualified for the Milan Olympics.
“I’m so happy,” Kuhn added. “Especially coming into this Olympics, this was a cherry on top of the World Cup season.”
Kuhn finished the four event World Cup season ranked third in the world and the top-ranked U.S. woman. Vinecki was one spot behind in fourth place, and Xu won the Crystal Globe, given to the highest year-end finisher.
On the men’s side in aerials, Dehlinger was the top U.S. finisher in 10th place. Lillis finished one spot behind him in 11th place, and China’s Wang Xindi won the men’s Crystal Globe.
“There is no better place where I would want to get my first World Cup win,” Kuhn said. Ending the season with a win, especially going into the Olympics, is a huge confidence boost, and I will be going into the Olympics this year with this win in the back of my mind.”