Hannah Kearney avenged a disappointing performance in the 2006 Winter Olympics by winning the women’s moguls competition Saturday night in Vancouver to give the U.S. its first gold medal of the 2010 Games.
The Stratton, Vt., native was considered one of the favorites in Turin, Italy, four years ago, but she fell in the qualifying round and had to settle for 22nd.
"I felt like I let down my country. I let down myself, my friends," Kearney told The Associated Press. "I was embarrassed by my performance. I knew I had more in me."
She had nothing to be embarrassed about Saturday, though. Kearney landed a backflip and a 360-degree spin off the two jumps and posted the fastest time of the night, earning a score of 26.63.
That vaulted her ahead of Canada’s Jenn Heil, who won the gold in 2006 but had to settle for silver Saturday night in front of her home crowd. It also prolonged Canada’s gold-medal drought on its own soil.
"I know Canada hasn't won a gold medal on their home turf,” Kearney said. “I have a feeling they'll do it these Games, but I'm pleased I could stop that for now.”
