Olympic legacy of Canadian freeski pioneer Sarah Burke continues to shine 10 years after her death

Canada's Cassie Sharpe is set to defend her Olympic gold medal as the women's freeski halfpipe event gets underway in Beijing, but it was another Canadian who helped make it all possible.

Ten years after her tragic death, the powerful legacy and impact of freeski pioneer Sarah Burke can be seen all over the Beijing Games — from the events to the athletes.

The world's first female professional freeskier, Burke was a gold medal favourite for the 2014 Sochi Olympics when she died after a crash while training on the halfpipe at the X Games in Utah. She was 29.

The Barrie, Ont., native was the face of the sport she transformed. Her extensive lobbying efforts made it possible for both women's halfpipe and slopestyle to become Olympic events, and she helped guide so many athletes as a coach and mentor.

Since debuting in 2014, the women's freeski slopestyle and halfpipe events have become must-watch events at the Winter Games, with the level of competition constantly evolving and new stars emerging every four years.

"The amount of progression in the sport that I've seen in the last 20 years is pretty incredible," said Burke's husband, Rory Bushfield — a retired professional skier. "In the last decade as well, girls are skiing really well, and I think a lot are inspired by Sarah.

"If you asked any girl out there skiing, they've probably been inspired by Sarah in some way."

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When Canadian Dara Howell won gold in the inaugural Olympic women's slopestyle final as a teenager, she dedicated her victory to the person who mentored her and blazed the trail for all to follow.

"This medal is definitely for Sarah. She pushed the sport," Howell said after winning Sochi.

Eight years later,