U.S. captures gold in mixed team aerial ski jumping

Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The United States on Thursday took the gold medal in mixed team aerial freestyle skiing in Beijing, the first time the event has been included in the Olympic Games.

The U.S. team consisting of Winter Vinecki, Chris Lillis and Justin Schoenefeld finished with a score of 338.34. China won the silver with 324.22 points and Canada won the bronze (290.98).

Lillis, from Pittsford, N.Y. near Rochester, landed the top score on his jump in the final to clinch a podium appearance in a tight battle with China.

The U.S. earned a podium spot at one of the two competitions that took place this season - a silver at the Dec. 11 Ruka World Cup in Finland.

The event consists of three athletes with no more than two per gender -- either two men and a woman, or two women and a man -- each taking one jump to produce a total score.

Four teams advance from Finals 1 to 2, where the format is repeated to determine a winner. Each round begins with a woman and ends with a man.