Calgary skier Brendan Mackay crowned halfpipe world champion

Calgary’s Brendan Mackay is the new halfpipe world champion on the men’s side after winning a gold medal Saturday in Bakuriani, Georgia.

He captured the title with a spectacular final run that moved him up from second to first.

“It’s incredible!” he said.

Mackay scored 97.25 in the final, narrowly surpassing silver medallist Jon Sallinen of Finland by one-and-a-half points.

“Once I saw Jon go, I knew I had to do better if I wanted to win. His run was sensational,” Mackay said. “So I gathered my focus and went for it. It went really well, and I’m very happy with how I skied.

“At the last Worlds, I was first after the qualifiers, but I wasn’t able to hold onto that lead in the final. This time, I wanted to go all the way, and I knew my run would have to be exceptional. I’m proud of my performance.”

Whistler, B.C.’s Simon d’Artois scored 92.00, good enough for fourth place.

Two other Calgarians, Andrew Longino and Dylan Marineau, did not advance past the qualification rounds earlier this week, finishing 12th and 15th respectively.

On the women’s side, Canada’s Rachael Karker, of Erin, Ont., took the bronze medal, scoring 92.25.

American Hanna Faulhaber scored 95.75, winning gold, and Great Britain’s Zoe Akin scored 94.50.

Calgary’s Amy Fraser and Dillan Glennie of Courtenay, B.C., advanced to the final, occupying the fifth and eighth spots respectively.

In the Big Air contest, Ontario’s Megan Oldham came up with her second medal of the world championships, winning bronze with a cumulative score of 174.00.

“It’s been an incredible week,” said Oldham. “I didn’t expect to perform so well, and I’m super happy to have won another medal, especially since it happened on my third jump. The snow conditions made landing difficult, but I managed to get onto the podium. I couldn’t be happier.”