Australian snowboarder Torah Bright has moved to the world number three ranking after collecting her second consecutive podium result in World Cup halfpipe in Japan overnight.
Australian snowboarder Torah Bright has moved to the world number three ranking after collecting her second consecutive podium result in World Cup halfpipe in Japan overnight.
Bright, 17, confirmed her status as one of the world’s best halfpipe riders by taking the silver medal in Joetsu, following up on a bronze medal in Sapporo last weekend.
She has now claimed a medal in three of the four events she has contested in her debut year on the World Cup circuit.
The New South Wales rider goes to the World Cup finals at the 2006 Olympic venue in Sestriere with a strong chance of taking the number two ranking for the season.
World number one, Soko Yamaoka, has an unbeatable lead at the top of the standings on 4220 points, but Bright, on 2700 points, has entered three fewer events than the Japanese rider.
And the rising Australian star is only 250 points behind current world number two, Lesley McKenna of Great Britain, a rider she has beaten easily on the only occasion they have met this season.
In Joetsu, Bright was second behind US rider Kelly Clark in the first qualification run, securing her place in the six-woman final.
In the two round final, she scored 39.2 points on her second ride, going down to American boarder Lindsey Jacobellis by 1.5 points in a very tight tussle.
In the men’s event, Andrew Burton was the best of the Australians, placing 24th.
The men’s contest was won by US rider Steven Fisher ahead of Finland’s Antti Autti and German rider Vinzenz Lueps.
Fourth place went to another Finn, Risto Mattila, who leads the World Cup standings by 600 points from fellow countryman Autti.
A day earlier, Jo Shaw had placed 26th in the second of two snowboard cross events in Joetsu, the gold medal going to Jacobellis in a convincing display of her all round riding ability.
Bright, 17, confirmed her status as one of the world’s best halfpipe riders by taking the silver medal in Joetsu, following up on a bronze medal in Sapporo last weekend.
She has now claimed a medal in three of the four events she has contested in her debut year on the World Cup circuit.
The New South Wales rider goes to the World Cup finals at the 2006 Olympic venue in Sestriere with a strong chance of taking the number two ranking for the season.
World number one, Soko Yamaoka, has an unbeatable lead at the top of the standings on 4220 points, but Bright, on 2700 points, has entered three fewer events than the Japanese rider.
And the rising Australian star is only 250 points behind current world number two, Lesley McKenna of Great Britain, a rider she has beaten easily on the only occasion they have met this season.
In Joetsu, Bright was second behind US rider Kelly Clark in the first qualification run, securing her place in the six-woman final.
In the two round final, she scored 39.2 points on her second ride, going down to American boarder Lindsey Jacobellis by 1.5 points in a very tight tussle.
In the men’s event, Andrew Burton was the best of the Australians, placing 24th.
The men’s contest was won by US rider Steven Fisher ahead of Finland’s Antti Autti and German rider Vinzenz Lueps.
Fourth place went to another Finn, Risto Mattila, who leads the World Cup standings by 600 points from fellow countryman Autti.
A day earlier, Jo Shaw had placed 26th in the second of two snowboard cross events in Joetsu, the gold medal going to Jacobellis in a convincing display of her all round riding ability.
