China's Cai Xuetong falls short at FIS Halfpipe World Cup

China's Cai Xuetong came agonizingly close to the podium, finishing fourth in the women's final of the FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup at Copper Mountain on Friday.

Cai, who qualified seventh for the final, was the second competitor out and laid down a tidy first run worth 71.75 points, which put her second after the opening round. Her teammate Wu Shaotong, struggled early and managed just 15.25 in her opening outing.

Unfortunately for Cai, her second run unravelled from the third trick onward and the judges considered the attempt a non‑improvement and it was not scored, leaving her with the single first‑run mark and a fourth‑place finish. Wu's second run failed to recover her fortunes and she ended the day eighth.

The title went to the Republic of Korea's 17‑year‑old Choi Gaon, the only rider in the final to topple the 90‑point barrier with a composed second run worth 94.50 when many rivals could not deliver top‑to‑bottom clean runs. Japan's Sena Tomita took silver on 88.75, and U.S. youngster Bea Kim claimed bronze with 75.52.