Olympics: Canadian sisters finish 1-2 in moguls event

Krasnaya Polyana, Russia • Canadian sisters Justine and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe knew they were Olympic medalists, even before defending champion Hannah Kearney of the United States took her final run Saturday night.

And then the news got even better: The sisters finished 1-2 in the moguls event, resulting in hugs in the finish area from yet another sister who competed in the event — and tears for Kearney.

Kearney took the bronze medal, as two wobbles in the middle section of the course kept her from catching the Canadians and led to her outpouring of emotion afterward, recognizing that her Olympic career was over.

The Dafour-Lapointes, from Montreal, already were a big story at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park because their older sister, Maxime, also qualified for the 12-skier second round of the finals. And then Justine, 19, and Chloe, 22, rose above the six-skier field in the third round. They became the third pair of sisters to win gold and silver medals in a Winter Olympics event.

Eliza Outtrim, a Westminster College student, placed sixth and Park City's Heather McPhie just missed the cut to 12.

The night began with qualifying to complete the 20-skier field for the three-run finals. Justine Dufour-Lapointe delivered her best run at the end, scoring 22.4 points to 21.66 for her sister and 21.49 for Kearney in a formula that combines time with judging of jumps and technique on the bumps.

Kearney was very disappointed not to earn another gold medal, wiping away tears and composing herself during the news conference. "I'm sure something good will come of it," she said. "I'm just not sure what it is yet."

The Dafour-Lapointes were as thrilled as Kearney was upset. "It just totally rocks," Justine said. "It is just really amazing. … I felt the pressure, but I just tried to put that away and I said, 'You know what, I'm going to roar and people will see me and remember who the real Justine is.' "

Chloe noted how the sisters also finished 1-2 (in the opposite order) in a World Cup event in Canada in mid-January, "but now it's at the Olympics. … We're just really happy."

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribkurt