Gold medal #3 for USA goes to Kaitlyn Farrington in halfpipe

Kaitlyn Farrington, the 24-year-old from Idaho whose parents sold off their cattle to bankroll her career, sparked the second upset on the halfpipe in two nights.  She smoothed out a near-flawless run to edge Austria's Torah Bright and take down the American favorite, Kelly Clark.

The winning run earned a score of 91.75.  It included one of the tougher combinations in the sport - a double-twisting jump with a near-blind landing, followed by a 2 1/2-spin jump.  It closed with a twisting, head-over-heels flip at the bottom.



The win provided some good news for the Americans, who came into the Sochi Games having won 14 of the 24 halfpipe medals in Olympic history, but went a shocking 0-for-3 in the men's contest.