Bit of Luck, Skill for Battelle, Moseley

An amazing stroke of good fortune gave Ann Battelle another chance in Olympic freestyle moguls. Fellow American Jonny Moseley advanced on skill alone.

Battelle, from Steamboat Springs, Colo., had a mediocre run Sunday that left her in 16th place and on the verge of missing the cutoff--with two-time world champion Candice Gilg still to come.

But Gilg missed her first jump at the top of the course, fell off balance, lost heart and skied off the course, allowing Battelle to secure the last spot for the finals Wednesday.

“I thought I skied good enough for the top 10, but when I saw I was 16th I thought my Olympic experience was over,” said Battelle, who skied next to last.

“I knew I didn’t ski well,” she said. “I got lucky.”

Gilg, trying a helicopter spin in which she turns 360 degrees on the first of two jumps, fell off balance and nearly stopped. She continued for the second jump but skied off the course and ending up crying on the shoulder of her coach.

The other Americans whom Battelle beat at the U.S. trials--1992 gold medalist Donna Weinbrecht and 1994 silver medalist Liz McIntyre--both qualified easily.

Weinbrecht, from West Milford, N.J., tied for first with Canadian Anne-Marie Pelchat with 23.35 points. McIntyre, of Winter Park, Colo., tied with Tatjana Mittermayer of Germany for third.

Moseley, from Tiburon, Calif., scored 26.53 points to top the men’s event on the 250-meter course.

Moseley cemented his spot by doing a unique jump, called a 360-Mute-Grab jump. Among the freestyle skiers, he’s the only one to do it.

“I plan to do it all week. I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it with all the pressure and different situations,” he said. “It’s one thing on the World Cup, but the Olympics are a different story.”

Finnish skiers Janne Lahtela and Sami Mustonen were second and third, with 25.43 and 25.16.