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Xu Mengtao of China reacts to her victory in the women's aerials final at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle World Cup in Ruka, Finland, December 6, 2025. /Xinhua
China's veteran freestyle skier Xu Mengtao made a strong start to a season that could see her compete in her fifth Olympics as she clinched the women's aerials title at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Freestyle World Cup in Ruka, Finland, on Saturday evening.
Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Xu, 35, reaffirmed her status as a dominant force in women's aerials in the opening World Cup event of the Milano Cortina 2026 season. She performed the most difficult jump of the night – a back full-full-full – and secured victory with 89.29 points.
Canada's Marion Thenault finished second with 82.48 points, while another Chinese skier Chen Meiting came third on 75.31.
"Today was a very difficult day for me, but I did it. I had nice quality and good landings on my triples. My goal is to do my best at the Olympic Games," said Xu about her possible fifth Winter Games appearance.
The victory also marked the 30th World Cup gold of her career in individual events.