Shaun White finishes third in slopestyle

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. (AP) — Shaun White finished third at the U.S. Grand Prix on Sunday, putting himself in strong position to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the Olympic debut of slopestyle.

White, who hurt his left ankle last week and skipped the halfpipe in Copper Mountain to focus on slopestyle, scored a 90.75 on his first run, which put him in second place.

His attempt to go bigger on the second run got stymied when he fell after jumping onto the very first rail on the course.

Norway swept the top two spots, with Staale Sandbech (97 points) getting the win and Torstein Horgmo finishing second (94.75).

Sarka Pancochova of the Czech Republic won the women’s event.

This was the second of five Olympic qualifying events; the next is in Breckenridge starting Jan. 8.