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Kelly Clark makes history with 1080 at Winter X Games

posted by Pretty Tough | Girls Who Are Fun Fierce & Feminine
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 4:45pm CST

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The women’s Superpipe finals at Winter X Games 15 were jaw-dropping to say the least The highlight, of course, was when Vermont native Kelly Clark‘s became the first woman to successfully land a 1080 in competition. That’s THREE full rotations ten feet above the pipe. Clark had a solid first run under her belt before she threw the 1080 into the mix. By her final run, which happened to be a victory lap, she threw the trick down with ease. The X Games gold medal was her second and first since 2006. She took silver in the event in the 2004, 2009 and 2010 X-Games and won bronze in 2008.

The other women weren’t too shabby either. Every single contender landed a big backside 900, along with a plethora of technical tricks and big air.

In the end, Kaitlyn Farrington walked away with a silver medal after locking down her best score of the night in her first run. Elena Hight was able to walk away with a 3rd place finish. Aspen’s crowd favorite Gretchen Bleiler lacked consistency and ended up 6th. Noticeably absent was Torah Bright who decided to save herself for the slopestyle event.

When people talk about progression in sport, Clark’s performance is what they’re talking about. She forged new territory in women’s snowboarding and if she can stay consistent, the entire field must progress with her. Clark’s feat was amazing and by setting the bar high, the future of women’s snowboarding looks bright.

X Games 15 Womens Superpipe Results
1. Kelly Clark
2. Kaitlyn Farrington
3. Elena Hight
4. Soko Yamaoka
5. Queralt Castellet
6. Gretchen Bleile