PARK CITY — Hannah Hardaway used two difficult tricks to win the women's moguls competition Sunday as the World Cup circuit visited the freestyle venue for the 2002 Olympics.
The victory was her first in World Cup competition, a huge step forward in her recovery from a knee injury suffered during a 1998 training run.
"When you're lying in a hospital bed, it doesn't seem like you'll ever be back on skis this fast," said Hardaway, of Moultenborough, N.H. "I was just psyched to be on the Olympic course. I was just working on my run."
What a run it was.
While most of her competitors were doing the easier twists and spreads, Hardaway performed a helicopter, which is a 360-degree spin, on the upper jump and followed with a double daffy on the lower jump.
"I went a little bigger (higher) than I wanted on the top jump and dropped my head on the landing," she said. "It made me lose my vision, which made me realize I had to pick it up through the middle."
Hardaway scored 24.31, helped largely by high scores for her outstanding hang time. World Cup leader Kari Traa of Norway finished second at 23.85, while Minna Karhu of Finland was third at 23.57.
Mikko Ronkainen of Finland won the men's event, while Evan Dybvig of Turnbridge, Vt., took second at Deer Valley Resort for the second straight year. Janne Lahtela of Finland, the world's top-ranked moguls skier, placed third.
Ronkainen scored 26.93, Dybvig had 26.75 and Lahtela 26.51. Points are awarded by a panel of five judges who evaluate each skier's turns and two more judges who handle the jumps.