Aerialist rebounds from flips on ground

On the first run of his first try at the Winter Olympics, Travis Gerrits, the 22-year-old Canadian aerialist, landed a little farther forward than normal and snapped out of his skis, somersaulting down the snow: “I did five flips, actually — I did three backwards, and then two forward.”

He laughed. He had only meant to do the first three. In the air.

Gerrits recovered enough on his second run to qualify for the threeround finals Monday, but he was eliminated in the second round, finishing seventh of eight, when only the best four advanced. He was the only Canadian in the competition.

“To be honest, I’m quite disappointed in not making the super final,” he said. “It was definitely my ultimate goal to bring a medal back to Canada. But the thing I learned at these Games — my first Games — was the incredible energy that it has.”

Gerrits, who is from Milton, Ont., had been on a steady ascent in his sport. He was named the International Ski Federation’s rookie of the year in 2011, and he won his first World Cup title two months ago, in China.

His official introduction to the Olympics was spectacular, in a difficult way. Gerrits was leaning forward as he landed his first jump at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.

“He ejected from both skis,” said his mother, Heather Gerrits, who was with his family at the barrier at the bottom of the run. “It wasn’t good. He did a double front on a hill.”

She was squeezing the rail as he started down the hill for his second and final qualifying run. Gerrits landed the second jump, earning a score of 112.39 from the judges.

Anton Kushnir of Belarus blew away the other three men in the final round with a score of 134.50 to win the gold.

Australia’s David Morris (110.41) won silver, while Zongyang Jia of China (95.06) took bronze.

“I actually came back from the first crash in qualifications beautifully,” Gerrits said. “My landings are coming. It was just a matter of speed ... under the lights here in Sochi? It doesn’t get much better.”