Winter Olympics: Brown wins Canadian Open title

Winter Olympics-bound snowboarder Kendall Brown warmed up for the Games with the best result of her career, winning the Canadian Open in Calgary yesterday.

The Wanaka-based 20-year-old took top spot in the semifinals and by the time of her third run Brown knew she had the gold in the halfpipe event.

Fellow Olympian Juliane Bray was fourth going into the final before finishing seventh. Two Canadians, Mercedes Nicoll and Sarah Conrad, took second and third places.

"I am just stoked," Brown said. "I tried to go big and smooth and all in all it was a pretty good day."

Vancouver will be her second Olympics, having competed at Torino four years ago.

Freeskier Jossi Wells has won the prestigious Winter Dew Cup, and pocketed US$25,000 ($36,000).

Wells finished fifth at the Toyota Championship in Vermont, and the 84 points he accrued from that combined with his first and second-place finishes in earlier events which comprise the tour, gave him 260 points. Wells won US$46,500 from his three results.

He finished five points ahead of American Simon Dupont, who won yesterday's event, while Wells' brother Byron took seventh place, his best result at a major international event.