History-maker Vinecki and winning machine Burov take Moscow aerials triumphs

Winter Vinecki added to her remarkable list of life achievements by taking the first freestyle skiing World Cup victory of her career with a narrow aerials triumph in Moscow.

Aged just nine, the American created a non-profit organisation called Team Winter which raises money to fight prostate cancer - the disease that killed her father - before becoming the youngest person to complete a marathon in Antarctica just months after turning 14.

Before her 15th birthday, she became the youngest person to run a marathon on all seven continents by completing the course in Athens and now, aged 22, she can call herself a freestyle skiing World Cup gold medallist.

Vinecki had never previously made the podium in an aerials World Cup event - her best being a pair of fourth-placed finishes - but, having qualified for the final in eighth position, she made the second run with the second-best score of 85.68.

She then improved on that by setting an impressive benchmark of 94.11 points and this season's dominant aerials skier Laura Peel, who had won two of the first three events, was unable to overhaul the American.

The Australian had to settle for silver with 92.72 points, while Marion Thenault of Canada took bronze with a score of 90.59, but Peel still comfortably leads the overall aerials standings with three events to go - on 290 points to Vinecki's 203, with Ashley Caldwell in third on 190 points after coming fifth in Moscow.

In the men's event, Maxim Burov made it four wins from four in aerials World Cup events this term as he laid down a final run of 126.24 points.

That was enough to comfortably beat USA's Christopher Lillis, who registered a score of 116.74 and Noe Roth of Switzerland took bronze with 103.54.

Burov is miles clear atop the season-long standing with a perfect 400 points from 400, while Pavel Krotov stays second on 232 points despite a sixth-place finish in Moscow and Roth is third.

Sportsbeat 2021