LIVIGNO, Italy, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China put itself in a strong medal position for Wednesday's women's aerials final at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with all four athletes advancing through qualification, led by defending champion Xu Mengtao.
After heavy snowfall forced a one-day delay, qualification was held under sunny skies in Livigno on Wednesday morning. Xu, a five-time Olympian, scored 89.29 in the first round to place fifth and secure a direct berth in the final.
Her teammates Shao Qi and Kong Fanyu finished third and fourth with scores of 90.22 and 89.72, respectively, and also advanced directly.
China's fourth entrant, Chen Meiting, ranked 10th in the first round but rebounded strongly, delivering 100.29 points in the second round to claim one of the remaining final spots.
The top score in qualification belonged to Canadian Marion Thenault, who posted 108.61 points.
Under the competition format, the top six finishers from the first qualification round advanced directly to the final, with the remaining six finalists determined in a second round. ■
