Reigning Olympic halfpipe champion Torah Bright is on a quest for a triple crown at Sochi next month.聽
The Australian snowboarder qualified for three disciplines at the Winter Olympic Games鈥攖he first snowboarder ever to do so. She鈥檒l compete in the halfpipe, snowboard cross, and slopestyle events.
Slopestyle, a sport where snowboarders launch off massive jumps and perform difficult tricks, will make its Olympic debut in Sochi. 聽聽
Snowboard cross isn鈥檛 a new Olympic event鈥攊t debuted in 2006鈥攂ut it鈥檚 always a fun one to watch. It鈥檚 a race to the finish where four riders bomb down a half-mile-long obstacle course. Bright took up the event last year and has since competed in 12 snowboard cross races.聽
Then there鈥檚 the halfpipe. Bright won Olympic gold in this event at the 2010 Vancouver Games and is a favorite to medal again in Sochi this year.
鈥淢ore than anything, it鈥檚 about sharing the sport I love with the world. This has been a journey of exploring what is possible for me on my snowboard and challenging myself like never before,鈥 .
If you look at the decline in snowboard sales, it seems like the sport could use all the help it can get. Read our feature on why we think snowboarding is dead. 聽