This one was for Sarah. Braid spinning in the chilly mountain air, Maddie Bowman of the U.S. soared to the first gold medal in women's Olympic halfpipe skiing, edging Marie Martinod of France in the finals on a night the sport paid tribute to late Canadian freestyle skiing icon Sarah Burke. Burke, a leading advocate to have several events, including halfpipe, added to the Olympic program, died after a training accident in 2012. Her parents, Gordon Burke and Jan Phelan, watched as Bowman made history. The 20-year-old from South Lake Tahoe, Calif., stringing along dizzying series of spins and grabs, performed the two highest-scoring runs of the finals. Her first one, an 85.80, put pressure on Martinod, who led qualifying. Bowman's second run was even better. She clasped the side of her helmet in disbelief shortly afterward, then sat and waited to see whether Martinod or American teammate Brita Sigourney could top her. Read more http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/...an-maddie-bowman-wins-ski-halfpipe-gold-medal
