But prior to Monday’s World Cup aerials competition at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, Kuhn had never stood atop the World Cup podium.

That was until Kuhn landed a near-perfect back Full-Full-Full jump, to earn 105.60 points, which helped her edge out reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtao of China. Kuhn, 22, said she’s done that jump well over 100 times before.

“But when the crowd’s here and the pressure’s on, I just relied on that training and that’s what I did today,” she said. “I knew if I just relied on all those jumps I did all summer then I could put it to my feet when it mattered.”

Mengtao had attempted the same jump but lost out with her landing to score 105.17 points. Australia’s Danielle Scott, who had won the women’s event on Sunday, placed third with an 85.65-point effort.

Kaila Kuhn of the United States sticks the landing during the final round of her gold medal performance in this season’s aerials World Cup finale held Monday at the Olympic Jumping Complex’s aerials hill in Lake Placid. (Provided photo — Lou Reuter)

For Kuhn, who was born in Michigan, the entire weekend was “pretty indescribable.” Along with her gold, she took home a bronze in Sunday’s competition, which solidified her Olympic nomination — all at a site where she said she learned to jump.

“Honestly, there’s not a better place that I would have wanted to get my first World Cup win,” she said.

On Sunday, Scott was the overall women’s winner with 95.88 points, while China’s Xu was second with 94.01. Kuhn took bronze with 92.29 points. The contest was the aerials World Cup season-finale and included qualifying rounds in the afternoon and the finals.

In the men’s event, the Chinese freestyle skiers dominated their World Cup aerials competition, claiming four total medals. China’s Xindi Wang kicked off the weekend by winning gold with 103.5 points, while teammate Guangpu Qi was third with 94.12. Ukraine’s Yan Havriuk claimed silver with 94.12 points.

Team USA’s Derek Krueger was just off the podium in fourth place with 87.48 points. He was the only American to reach the final rounds.

Scott Kane of the United States flips through the air during Monday’s aerials competition in the sport’s World Cup season finale at the Olympic Jumping Complex in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

China’s Xinpeng Li won gold on Sunday with 137.19 points, while Wang was second with 112 and Canada’s Miha Fontaine was third with 107.73. The top American was Ian Schoenwald in 16th place.

As the Olympics approach, these two competitions in Lake Placid were one of the last chances for the elite aerialists to qualify for the upcoming Milano-Cortina Games, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboard’s Freestyle Director Matthew Gnoza.

“Since their World Cup season is over, and during that period, any athlete who achieves a podium earns an Olympic nomination,” he said. “So, Kaila, technically speaking, started to earn it (on Sunday). She kind of finished it off (on Monday). So she joins her teammate, Winter Vinecki, as the first two women named to the four-person women’s area team.”

Gnoza said this works for the men’s aerialists, too. While the U.S. men didn’t turn in top results in Lake Placid, both Quinn Dehlinger and Chris Lillis earned podium spots in other World Cup competitions this season.

“Chris wasn’t here for the prize ceremony, but we’ll go back to the (Olympic and Paralympic Training Center) and present him with his ‘Welcome to Team USA’ gifts and do a presentation there for him,” he said.

Gnoza expects the U.S. team to send a maximum of four men and four women to the Olympics.

“These athletes have achieved enough results as they earned it,” he said. “There’ll be four women’s opportunities and four men’s opportunities.”

For Gnoza and the team, having the final aerials World Cup of the season — and last chance to clinch an Olympic sport — on U.S. soil was huge.

“Because for someone like Kaila, they grew up in this pool, on this site and in this community,” he said.

“Aerials were a big part of their lives in this community and being here. Everything from walking down Main Street to get ice cream after training, to swimming in the lake, to training here at the facility. It’s kind of funny, this feels like home for a lot of the athletes. So to secure her Olympic spot here is pretty special.”

Kuhn moved to this village when she was 13 years old and lived at the training center for two years before making the national team. She said that she likes to call the bobsledders her “uncles,” since they protected her when she was little.

“So my roots of aerial skiing are here,” she said. “That’s where they were built. And so it’s a pretty full circle moment.”

Kuhn, who placed third in the overall standings for women’s aerials, added that her dominant weekend was made even more special since her parents were able to attend.

American aerialist Ashton Salwan, who placed 17th on Monday and 23rd on Sunday, said his parents were also in Lake Placid for the World Cup. He added that they drove up to the area from Cleveland, Ohio.

“I was a couple of hours driving up here,” Salwan said. “But being back in North America after being away for, like, almost three or four months was super nice. I had a good result in Quebec and had decent results here. Not my best, not my worst, but I’m satisfied.”

Salwan, 21, finished the World Cup season in 16th place overall, and he said it’s the best season of his life, and is hopeful for the future.

“I just need to break into that top 10 for next year,” he said. “The goal is to get into single digits and just get some higher degree of difficulty jumps off and just more numbers.”

Ahead of the Olympics, the U.S. Olympic aerials team is slated to return to Lake Placid for training camp, according to Gnoza. That camp will take place around Jan. 20.