TEENAGE snowboarder Emily Arthur has captured Australian hearts after qualifying for the half-pipe final at the Winter Olympics — and she celebrated her big achievement with a dance in the Korean snow.
Arthur, 18, slipped at the end of her qualifying run but her dazzling effort was enough to secure 66.5 points and a spot in the 12-woman final in PyeongChang.
The NSW teenager from Woronora Heights in Sydney’s south celebrated her performance in style — with a boogie at the bottom of the run.
“We just let the music flow through our body and just whatever happens, happens,” Arthur laughed during an interview with Channel 7 after her stellar run.
Arthur was also seen dancing at the top of her run as well.
“It’s all good, my best friend’s up there, so we’re just dancing and having fun,” she laughed.
“We’re just sitting up there saying ‘how many followers did you get that run?’ We’re just up there having fun, which I think is really cool and it’s a good experience.”
Arthur, a half-pipe Youth Olympic Games silver medallist, said she was glad she “finally put (a run) down” after an unideal first run.
“I don’t know why I fell, but I went really early and clipped my tail in take-off.”
Asked what it would be like to make an Olympic final, Arhur said: “It would literally be the dream.”
Arthur’s fellow Aussie Crawford (57.5), in her fourth and likely final Winter Olympics, was 13th and just outside the cut-off zone.
There were few surprises as to the top qualifier — outstanding young American Chloe Kim, blitzing the field with a score of 95.5.
Kim had already done enough on her first run (91.5) and was so relaxed she went for an ice cream between hits.
China’s Jiayu Liu (87.75) was second while Japan’s Haruna Matsumoto (80.75) was third.
The final is on Tuesday.
