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Winter Olympics 2014: Brit James Woods misses out on medal after battling through to reach ski slopestyle final

The Sheffield-born 22-year-old has been struggling with a hip complaint

David Charlesworth
Thursday 13 February 2014 09:58 GMT
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James Woods missed out on a medal but defied a hip injury to earn an impressive fifth place in the first ever Winter Olympics men's ski slopestyle final, as the United States claimed an impressive sweep of the podium spots.

The Yorkshireman, who has been struggling for fitness since falling awkwardly in training last Friday, gave Britain hope of a second medal in Sochi with a score of 86.60 that left him fourth after the first run.

While he could not better that second time around, a top-five finish at a sun-baked Rosa Khutor Extreme Park represents an amazing achievement for the 22-year-old from Sheffield.

Joss Christensen won gold with a score of 95.80, with fellow Americans Gus Kenworthy (93.60) and Nick Goepper (92.40) earning bronze and silver respectively.

PA

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