Kristi Leskinen facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1981 Hopwood, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|||||||||||||
| Residence | Mammoth Lakes, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
|||||||||||||
| Sport | Freestyle Skiing | |||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||
| Updated on August 1, 2013. | ||||||||||||||
Kristi Leskinen is an American freestyle skier known for her amazing tricks and competitive spirit. She has won medals at major events like the Winter X Games and the World Championships. Leskinen is also famous for being the first woman to successfully land a "rodeo 720," a difficult aerial trick involving two full spins.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Kristi Leskinen was born on February 10, 1981, and grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Living near ski resorts like Seven Springs Mountain Resort, she was on the slopes from a young age.
She was a talented athlete in many sports. In high school, she learned to pole vault just two weeks before a major competition and set a new school record. She was also a champion breaststroke swimmer in Western Pennsylvania.
Growing up, Leskinen loved both skiing and wakeboarding. She first competed in mogul skiing, a style that involves skiing over bumps. She was so good that people thought she might go to the Olympics. However, she wanted more freedom to do tricks, so she switched to wakeboarding. She became a top competitor, placing second at the U.S. Wakeboard Nationals and fourth at the World Championship.
In 2000, she saw professional skiers practicing on a rail and was inspired to try freestyle skiing. This decision changed her career.
A Career in Freestyle Skiing
When Leskinen first competed in the US Open, she was the only woman in the Big Air event. She was also one of just a few women competing in the Superpipe, a huge half-pipe made of snow. By 2004, the sport had grown, and 40 women competed in the Superpipe event, where Leskinen won second place.
She realized that making ski videos could reach more people than just competitions. She began traveling the world to film her skiing.
In 2005, Leskinen had a fantastic year. She won a bronze medal in the Superpipe at the Winter X Games and a silver medal in the Halfpipe at the World Championships. That same year, she also won first place at the Gravity Games Halfpipe.
Major Achievements
Here are some of Kristi Leskinen's top results from her career:
- 2009 2nd place, Aspen Open Slopestyle
- 2008 3rd place, European Open Slopestyle in Laax, Switzerland
- 2008 2nd place, North American Open
- 2007 2nd place, Nippon Freeski Open
- 2005 1st place, Gravity Games Halfpipe
- 2005 2nd place, US Open Halfpipe
- 2005 3rd place, Winter X Games Halfpipe
- 2004 2nd place, US Freeskiing Open Superpipe in Vail, CO
Beyond the Slopes: TV Appearances
Because of her success and personality, Leskinen became a well-known figure in sports. She appeared on the cover of Powder magazine in 2004 and was recognized as one of the top adventure sport athletes by Faces Magazine in 2005.
In 2009, she competed on the ABC show The Superstars. On the show, athletes and celebrities were paired up to compete in different sports. Leskinen and her partner, dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, won the competition.
Later, she appeared on the 30th season of the popular TV show The Amazing Race. She teamed up with fellow skier Jen Hudak, and they finished in 3rd place.
Personal Life
Kristi Leskinen currently lives in Mammoth Lakes, California, a popular area for skiing and outdoor sports.
See also
In Spanish: Kristi Leskinen para niños
