In a twist, Canada again comes up dry

Reporting from Vancouver, Canada — 

Personal and career definition wasn’t going to come from one race at one Olympics.

But freestyler Hannah Kearney didn’t run (or ski) away from what happened to her in Turin, Italy, four years ago, realizing it was part of her resume and, well, part of her life.

One pressure-packed run showed Turin would not be the last word about her Olympic experience. Kearney, who finished 22nd four years ago, snatched gold away from Jenn Heil and Canada on the very last run of a drama-filled women’s moguls final, a night filled with sublime skiing and spectacular crashes.

Kearney, of Norwich, Vt., won the first gold medal for the United States at these Winter Olympics, taking the air out of a jubilant, expectant crowd at Cypress Mountain here on a rainy Saturday night to watch the defending Olympic champion Heil.

“I felt like I had let down my country, myself, my friends,” Kearney said. “I was embarrassed by my performance. I knew I had more in me. But once it was behind me, a couple of months later, it was sort of looking forward because looking backward doesn’t help you.”

Kearney, whose mother is from Montreal, even had to deal with a question about Turin in between the qualifying session and the final. She was the top qualifier in the afternoon and Heil was second.

“Today, I think it crossed my mind, someone asked me about it in between runs,” Kearney said. “Of course it’s there because it’s part of my career. It’s part of what got me here today. Everything happens for a reason.

“And if I had known I was going to win a gold medal four years ago, I probably wouldn’t have been crying so hard about how poorly I skied.”

Heil won the silver and American Shannon Bahrke took the bronze, a fitting finish for a stellar career. Bahrke won silver at the Olympics in 2002.

“This is Canada’s medal,” Heil said.

It was supposed to be a moment for all the Canadian athletes who, at worst, faltered on over-pressurized home soil during the Olympics or, at best, overachieved and came up just shy of gold.

But finally, and mercifully, it could put an end to the questions about the failure of Canada to win gold during an Olympics on its home soil.

The wait got just a bit longer.

Heil wasn’t a lock, by any stretch. No one could really be considered such a favorite in this random sport on such an inclement night. But spectators were ready for a golden coronation.

“Canadians can be assured that gold medal is coming on home soil,” Heil said.

It was compelling theater, with the gold medal coming down to the final two freestylers.

Heil didn’t falter, putting down her own stellar run, and she had to watch and wait for Kearney and the judges’ decision.

Kearney had 26.63 points to Heil’s 25.69.

The quality of the women on the podium was even more impressive considering how much conditions had deteriorated in the hour before the final, with winds picking up and driving rain coming down harder. The first huge spill came from 1998 Olympic gold medalist Tae Satoya of Japan.

Veteran American freestyler Michelle Roark gambled hard, attempting a big 720 and crashing hard.

Also going down were two other top skiers, Heather McPhie of the United States and Kristi Richards of Canada.

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

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