Aerials World Cup tour moves on to Minsk
Jan 29, 2021·Freestyle
Straight from back-to-back events in Russia the aerials World Cup tour now moves on to Minsk for the third straight weekend of top-tier freestyle action. The world’s best aerialists are set to take to the skies above the Olympic Sports Complex Raubichi on Saturday, January 30th, with qualifications beginning at 14:00 local time for the women and 16:30 for the men, and finals set to go under the lights at 19:00.
Belarus has long produced some of the best aerial skiers on the planet, and between their women’s and men’s teams the Belarusians can lay claim to four of the last six Olympic aerials gold medals awarded. Throw in 2019 world champion in Aliaksandra Ramanouskaya and you have one of the top-performing nations on the sport’s biggest stages over the past decade.
And while it’s been rather a quiet World Cup campaign by the Belarusian aerials team in terms of top performances, there is no better chance for the fans’ favourite team to step things up than on home turf. And with the likes of Hanna Huskova, Alla Tsuper and Maksim Gustik leading the way, we can certainly expect some strong showings from the Belarusians this weekend.
Besides the home nation’s stars there are also a couple of other names that everyone should keep an eye on this weekend.
Starting with the women’s competition it’s hard not to start with Laura Peel, as the reining 2020 World Cup champion is also leading the ranking this year while holding on to two victories and one second place finish in fourth individual competitions so far.
But Peel will have a strong competition, which very likely will be coming from the side of U.S. Aerials Team with Winter Vinecki and Ashley Caldwell sitting in the respective second and third place in the aerials ranking. And don’t forget about Megan Nick and Kayla Kuhn, as both athletes have had some impressive showings in 2020/21.
Going further down the startling list also count on Russia’s Liubov Nikitina and Anastasiia Prytkova, Germany’s Emma Weiss and Canada’s Marion Thenault, who is fresh off an impressive performance in Moscow where she secured her career’s first World Cup top-3.
Switching over to the men’s event it’s Maxim Burov who is leading the way atop the leaderboard so far, with a perfect score of 400 points for taking four consecutive victories so far in the 2020/21 campaign. Burov was the king in last season’s in Minsk competition, and if he can carry on his outstanding form so far this season he will be tough to beat for top spot once again on Saturday.
Burov will also have a strong support in his teammates from the Russian Aerials Team with Pavel Krotov, elder Burov brother Ilia, and Stanislav Nikitin all showcasing some strong form as the season is slowly heading into upcoming world championships. With a total of eight top-3 spots so far in the season, the Russian team comes into Minsk as the world’s strongest squad from top to bottom.
Also keep an eye on Noe Roth, who leads a strong Swiss team with the likes Nicolas Gygax and Pirmin Werner also capable of podiums on the right day, as well as skiers like Justin Schoenefeld of USA, Lewis Irving of Canada, and the host nation’s top trio of Maksim Gustik, Makar Mitrafanau and Pavel Dzik.
With a stacked field of skiers all clearly rounding into midseason form as we hit competition in Minsk, the evening’s showdown under the lights at the Raubichi venue is shaping up to be exciting one indeed.
WATCH LIVE
Eurosport player (Europe & Asia), Live Streaming NBC (USA).
Live streaming will also be available on our Youtube channel HERE. Please note that due to broadcasting rights restrictions, live streaming may not be available in your region. Full list of countries with the live streaming available can be found HERE.
QUICK LINKS
Minsk World Cup data page (startlists, live timing, results)
)
