Maiden World Cup victory for Brown in Calgary

Courtesy FIS

Australian teenager Indra Brown secured her maiden Freeski Halfpipe World Cup victory in Calgary on Saturday to claim her third consecutive podium since the 15-year-old made her tour debut in December.

Brown was the first skier to secure victory on Saturday after the Australian took an early lead with a run one score of 85.20 that no other skier was able to match - despite a strong performance from runner-up Zhang Kexin (CHN), who finished one point behind Brown on 84.20.

U.S. skier Svea Irving was third on 83.20, followed by last season’s Crystal Globe winner Li Fanghui in fourth place.

Brown began her winning run with a left side 900 safety, then a right side cork 900 safety, a left 720 safety, a switch right 540, a switch left 360 mute, and finally a leftside alley-oop 360 Japan on her sixth and final hit.

Saturday’s win is Brown’s third consecutive podium finish after she was runner-up in Copper (USA) before the Christmas break and third in Secret Garden (CHN) earlier in December at her first-ever World Cup start.

With her victory, Brown matched a FIS Freeski World Cup mark set by Jennie-Lee Burmansson (SWE) back in 2017/18, where the then-15-year-old Swede rattled off a second, a first, and a third in her first three World Cup Slopestyle starts.

“I’m really excited and happy to be here, and excited for more,” said Brown.

With Saturday’s win, Brown is now the youngest Australian to claim a World Cup victory at 15 years of age. She is also the only Australian to have secured more than two Freeski Halfpipe World Cup podiums, surpassing Australians Davina Williams and Amy Sheehan who each have two World Cup podiums.

On top of that, Brown claimed the World Cup leader’s bib at the mid-point of the season, with her 240 points putting her 55 clear of Zhang’s tally of 185.

The next Halfpipe World Cup – and last chance to qualify for Milano Cortina 2026 – will take place in Aspen (USA) between 7-10 January.