Grishin makes history for Belarus; Peterson finds redemption for himself in aerials finals

Grishin roars, Peterson soars in aerials final

WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The two old friends stood atop the podium, savoring their long journeys to the top while wondering how they ever made it.

Alexei Grishin and Jeret “Speedy” Peterson are an odd couple to be sure. Grishin, the grizzled veteran from Belarus, has long been one of the top jumpers in aerials but now is more of a supporting player who performed in the shadow of teammate Anton Kushnir.

Peterson, the talented but troubled American, is an adrenaline junkie who has spent the last decade battling personal demons that almost cost him his life.

Yet there they were Thursday night: Grishin suddenly a national hero after winning Belarus’ first gold medal in the winter games. Peterson all smiles and tears after finally landing his signature “Hurricane” jump, a moment so delicious he wasn’t going to let the fact he missed the gold by a scant 1.2 points ruin it.

“We were talking when we were on the podium and he said to me, ‘It doesn’t even feel real,’” Peterson said. “That was exactly how I felt. It still hasn’t hit me and I don’t know that it will for a while.”

No rush. Not this time.

The 28-year-old Peterson hadn’t battled back from two suicide attempts, depression and alcohol addiction to let what he called “the best night of my life” slip by in an instant.

The outcome hardly mattered to Peterson, really.

In the end, his performance was as much about proving something to himself as it was about impressing the judges with his “Hurricane,” the hardest jump in the sport, one that requires him to cram five twists and three somersaults into 3½ seconds while falling five stories out of the sky.

Peterson knew he drilled it the moment his skis hit the soft, sugary snow at chilly Cypress Mountain. He thrust his right arm in the air and skied over to his Team USA members lining the wall.

When the 30-year-old Grishin came down moments later, nailing a slightly easier jump to post a final score of 248.41 and give him a gold to bookend the bronze he won in Salt Lake City eight years ago, it hardly dampened the celebration.

Peterson and U.S. Freestyle Coach Jeff Wintersteen embraced for nearly a minute before Peterson talked to reporters, tears in both of their eyes.

“It’s just redemption for him,” Wintersteen said. “Not many guys get a mulligan and get to be in exact same position.”

To be honest, for a long time Peterson wasn’t sure he deserved one.

He landed the “Hurricane” in Turin four years ago and finished a respectable seventh, though it was quickly overshadowed when he was thrown out of the games after fighting a friend in the street.

The fight was just the beginning of a tailspin that left the charismatic Peterson reeling. He battled alcoholism and depression and twice tried to take his own life.

He won $550,000 playing blackjack one night but went broke after investing in the sinking real estate market. He declared bankruptcy and tried to start over by getting into construction.

Yet the lure of the ramp never really went away.

While there’s a certain sense of accomplishment in building something with your own hands, it pales with the thrill of throwing yourself 50 feet into the air, twisting and flipping while somehow trying to get your skis to hit the ground before anything else does.

He took a two-year sabbatical trying to find himself, knowing all along where he’d end up. He finally got sober about a year ago and got serious about his training, though he’d done little in practice that led him to believe he’d make the podium. He couldn’t land the Hurricane in training and half-expected coach Matt Christensen to tell him to take a step down and try something else.

No chance.

Christensen simply told Peterson to get into his first twist a little earlier and he’d be fine. Besides, the chances of talking Peterson out of attempting it were slim.

“He is an all or nothing kind of guy,” said teammate Ryan St. Onge, who finished fourth. “He is always risking it, always pushing the envelope, always going for it and it really takes people like that to push the sport farther.”

Peterson certainly pushed Grishin, who carried the hope for Belarus after Kushnir, the world’s top-ranked jumper, failed to make it out of qualifying.

Grishin’s winning jump, a full-full-double full, marked the first time he’d completed it in competition. He was unaware of what score he needed to beat Peterson’s mark. He didn’t particularly care. Like Peterson, he’d prove something to himself.

It ended up making him a legend in his homeland.

“That’s why I was in the sport so long,” said Grishin, who is competing in his fourth games. “This was my dream for me and for Belarus.”

China’s Liu Zhongging picked up the bronze, giving the country’s rising aerials program three medals in Vancouver after Li Nina and Guo Xinxin won silver and bronze in the women’s competition on Wednesday.

Canada, who has surged this week after a slow start to the games, was in good position to add to its medal total on Thursday, placing three jumpers in the finals.

Yet four-time World Cup champion Steve Omischl faltered on his first jump and finished eighth. Warren Shouldice botched his opening attempt and finished 10th.

Kyle Nissen posted the best score in the first round and stood at the top of the hill at the end of a night with a chance to take the gold. He wasn’t even close, bungling his landing to wind up fifth.

“You’re always happy when you land a jump (but) when the euphoria wore off and I saw the replay, I didn’t feel too good about my jump,” Nissen said.

The same couldn’t be said for Peterson. He’s retiring the Hurricane and doesn’t know when — or even if — he’ll keep competing. He’s in no rush to decide.

For now, simply surviving the journey is enough. He wants to take a little time to enjoy it.

“I know that a lot of people go through a lot of things in their life, and I just want them to realize they can overcome anything,” Peterson said, his cheeks still damp. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel and mine was silver and I love it.”