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• Monday, Feb 22, 2010 @ 23:25:58 PM
• Written by Lara Rosenbaum

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The men's Olympic aerials qualifications went off like fireworks tonight and the Americans rose to the occasion! 2009 World aerials Champion Ryan St. Onge showed the world that he's back--landing two perfect high-difficulty jumps--on a night when many of the men performed more conservative tricks.

Jeret Speedy Peterson also landed cleanly, but didn't throw his triple-twisting flips. He was scored more conservatively as well, and in spite of his perfect landings, landed in fifth place--which is still nothing to sneeze at!

World Cup leader Anton Kushner of Belarus failed to qualify for Thursday's medal finals (finishing 15th), leaving the door wide open for gold. 2006 Olympic Aerials Champion Han Xiaopeng also failed to qualify, finishing 21st.

So we look to Thursday. St. Onge has a history of performing at high-profile, high-pressure events, and Speedy has his consistency. Both athletes are veterans of the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team and know how to deliver. The action begins at 6 PM PST, on February 25.

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