Dara Howell

Dara Howell

Howell at the Parade of Champions in Calgary (2014)
Personal information
Nickname(s) Dar, Lizzy D
Born (1994-08-23) August 23, 1994
Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
Residence Huntsville, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 125 lb (57 kg)

Dara Howell (born August 23, 1994) is a Canadian freestyle skier. She was the first freestyle skier to win a gold medal in slopestyle at the inaugural event at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Howell has also won a bronze medal in women's slopestyle at the Winter X Games XVII in Aspen, Colorado, behind Tiril Sjåstad Christiansen and Kaya Turski.[1][2]

Career

At the 2014 Winter Olympics Howell started competition as a gold medal threat together with compatriot Kaya Turski. Turski was favoured ahead of her but was sick on the day of competition and crashed out in both of her qualifying runs, failing to make the final. In the final Howell had a successful first run scoring a 94.2, a run and score which would hold up as the eventual gold medal winner. Kim Lamarre a fellow Canadian finished in third to complete another two medal event for Canada at those Olympics. Howell, like many of the Canadian women in freestyle competition was close to freestyle skier Sarah Burke, who died while on a training run a few years before the sport was inaugurated as an Olympic event. Burke had coached Howell at Momentum Ski Camps in Whistler Blackcomb.[3] She dedicated her victory to Burke saying "Oh, my God. I don't know what to say. I can't believe it. It is so surreal and I am so happy to win a gold medal for Canada. I don't think it will hit me until later. It is truly amazing. There are a number of really good girls out there and I came out on top. This is the best moment in my entire life...I said it earlier this week, I hope a Canadian brings home a gold medal for Sarah. I can't believe it's me. It's totally for Sarah and I cannot believe it."[4]

Personal

Howell was born in Huntsville, Ontario having attended Tawingo College and graduating from Huntsville High School. She also has taken courses with VLC.[5]

References

  1. "X Games Aspen 2013. Women's ski slopestyle – final". Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  2. "17-åring falt, men vant gull i X-Games". Aftenposten (in Norwegian). 28 January 2013.
  3. http://momentumcamps.com/m/dara-howell-wins-gold/
  4. Kate Pettersen (February 11, 2014). "Dara Howell wins gold, Kim Lamarre bronze in ski slopestyle". CBC Sports.
  5. http://virtuallearning.ca/index.php/dara-howell/
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