Kristi Leskinen facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | February 10, 1981 Hopwood, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Residence | Mammoth Lakes, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | |||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States |
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| Sport | Freestyle Skiing | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| Updated on August 1, 2013. | ||||||||||||||
Kristi Leskinen, born on February 10, 1981, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, is a famous American freestyle skier. She is known for her amazing tricks and winning medals. Kristi made history by being the first woman to do a "rodeo 720." This is a super cool trick where she spins twice while her head points towards the ground! In 2005, Faces Magazine called her one of the top 20 adventure sports athletes. She even appeared on the cover of Powder magazine in 2004.
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Kristi's Early Life and Sports
Kristi Leskinen grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. She was born in 1981. Her home was close to popular ski resorts like Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. Kristi loved sports from a young age.
She was very good at many different activities. In high school, she learned to pole vault in just two weeks. She even set a new school record! Kristi was also a champion swimmer in Western Pennsylvania.
Her favorite sports were skiing and wakeboarding. She won her very first mogul skiing contest. People thought she might even go to the Olympics for moguls! But Kristi wanted more freedom in her sport. So, she switched to wakeboarding. She placed second in the US Wakeboard Nationals. She also finished fourth at the World Championship.
In 2000, Kristi saw some pros practicing freestyle skiing. She decided to try it, and that's how her amazing freestyle skiing journey began.
Kristi's Professional Skiing Career
Kristi Leskinen quickly became a top freestyle skier. In her first US Open event, she was the only woman in the Big Air competition. She was also one of the few women in the Superpipe event. By 2004, freestyle skiing had become much more popular. The US Open Superpipe event had 40 athletes, making it the biggest in the world. Kristi earned second place that year.
Kristi realized that videos could reach more people than just contests. So, she started filming her skiing all over the world. This helped her share her talent with a wider audience.
In 2005, Kristi had a fantastic year. She won a bronze medal at the Winter X Games in the Halfpipe. She also took home a silver medal at the World Championship for Halfpipe. In the same year, she won first place at the Gravity Games Halfpipe. She continued to have many great performances. This included second place at the North American Open in 2008. She also got third place at the European Open in 2008. In 2009, she finished second at the Aspen Open.
Top Skiing Achievements
- 2009: 3rd place at Homecoming
- 2009: 5th place at Dew Tour Slopestyle in Mt Snow, VT
- 2009: 2nd place at Aspen Open Slopestyle
- 2008: 3rd place at European Open Slopestyle in Laax, Switzerland
- 2008: 2nd place at North American Open
- 2007: 2nd place at Nippon Freeski Open
- 2005: 3rd place at Winter X Games Halfpipe
- 2005: 2nd place at US Open Halfpipe
- 2005: 1st place at Gravity Games Halfpipe
- 2004: 2nd place at US Freeskiing Open Superpipe in Vail, CO
Kristi on TV Shows
Kristi Leskinen has also appeared on television. In 2009, she was on a show called The Superstars on ABC. This show paired athletes with celebrities for different sports challenges. Kristi and her partner, dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, won the competition!
Later, Kristi competed on the 30th season of The Amazing Race. She teamed up with Jen Hudak. They did very well, finishing in 3rd place overall.
Kristi's Life Today
Kristi Leskinen currently lives in Mammoth Lakes, California.
See also
In Spanish: Kristi Leskinen para niños
