Lewis Irving, 24, from Quebec City, earned the bronze medal at the Krasnoyarsk Aerial World Cup, in Russia, today. He stood on the podium alongside Noe Roth (SUI) and Pavel Krotov (RUS), in first and second place respectively. The Russian World Cup marked Irving’s second podium of the season.
Jeff Bean, head coach of the Aerials program, was pleased with Irving’s performance in Krasnoyarsk. He expected him to perform well in the finals and highlighted that clean landings were key, and Irving delivered.
Irving showed he was on the hunt for a medal early as he tied with Roth for the top spot in the qualification round. The 19 year-old Swiss rookie turned up the heat and secured his first World Cup victory performing a triple flip with five twists. Irving however was elated with the outcome of today’s competition. “I’m super happy with the last event, what a great way to end a season like this. I’m also really happy to come back from a year off due to an injury and have my best results to date. I’ve been jumping really well and kept getting better as the season advanced, he explained.” Looking forward to upcoming seasons, he stated that he had “complete trust in Jeff [Bean] and his plan going into the start of the Olympic qualification process. I just have to keep building and progressing. We will get there!”
Félix Cormier-Boucher, 23, from Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, finished the day in 13th place, which coach Bean was also pleased with. “Félix simply wobbled on the landing but he was close!”, he explained.
Athletes are headed home after the conclusion of an eventful World Cup season, and already looking forward to next season which will highlight a World Championships and the start of the qualification period for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
