Speedy Peterson lands the “Hurricane” for silver

Alexsei Grishin of Belrus made it look very easy, spinning through the air with incredible control and precision on the landing. There is no question he deserved the gold for his performance.

 There was a feeling of deja vu when you saw Jaret “Speedy” Peterson at the top of the hill preparing for his final run in men’s aerials.  4 years ago he was in position for the bronze when he attempted his signature jump the hurricane.  But that time, he blew the landing and didn’t get on the podium.  The tried the hurricane during practice today, falling at the landing. It would have been easy to take the advice of others and not attempt the difficult jump.  But this year, he needed the difficulty to get the points needed to finish high. He made the jump, triumphantly sticking the landing.

 Liu Zonyang won bronze.  The 18-yr-old from China had very compact form during his jump, but wheelied a little on the landing. He’s so young, I’m sure we’ll see him in 4 years.