Freestyle aeriels was a demonstration event at the 1988 and 1992 Winter Olympics and would become a full-medal event at Lillehammer in 1994. The 1986 World Champion was American Maria Quintana, who competed, but finished only seventh in the small field of nine competitors. The title went to her teammate, Melanie Palenik, who had also competed, less successfully, in moguls. Third-place went to Sweden’s Carin Hernskog, runner-up to Quintana at the 1986 Worlds, while the runner-up in Calgary was West German Sonja Reichart, who would finish second at the 1989 World Championships.