SNOWBOARD/ FREESTYLE SKI: Dual World Champion Alex “Chumpy” Pullin has shrugged off niggling back stiffness which kept him out of the Snowboard Cross World Cup opening round and is competing in Lake Louise, Canada, this weekend as the Ski Cross Team heads to Italy.  Follow the performances of Chumpy, Crema and the Australians here...

DAY 1

Chumpy progresses through in his first (timed) Snowboard Cross qualification run behind compatriot Jarryd Hughes who clocks 1:08.85 for 7th position. Pullin's 1:08.97 for 10th is enough to storm into the next round. 

Cameron Bolton stops the clock at 1:10.77 in his first run and then records a DNF. His 58th ranking is outside the required top 32. After a slow first run, Daniel Morrissy's 1:11.47 is also shy of qualifying and he finishes 66th.

In the women's event, Belle Brockhoff qualifies by a whisker. Brockhoff's 1:13.16 gives her the 16th and last ticket to finals. Not too far behind is Torah Bright, trying her hand at another Snowboard event. Torah comes in 23rd with a best time of 1:14.50 and will not progress. 

Meanwhile in Italy...

Australia's Katya Crema returns to competition after missing two World Cup rounds with knee soreness. The AIS/NSWIS athlete is 28th fastest in the qualification session at Innichen / San Candido and advances to the finals. Jenny Owens, Sami Kennedy-Sim, Anton Grimus and Scott Kneller miss the cut.

EVENT PREVIEWS

Although Pullin was disappointed to miss round one in Montafon, Austria, his decision seems to have delivered the benefit he was hoping for and is now confident of a strong build up towards Sochi in February without the worry of back stiffness hanging over him.

The Australian’s last minute decision to withdraw from Montafon was made purely as a precautionary measure, not wanting to put at risk his Sochi prospects.

The 26-year-old Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder will be joined in Lake Louise by Cameron Bolton, Jarryd Hughes and Daniel Morrissy in the chase for World Cup points in Canada.

The qualification session is scheduled for Saturday (Australian time) with the knock out finals the following day.

Belle Brockhoff is looking to improve on the 13th place recorded in Montafon while the other Australian woman entered at Lake Louise, Torah Bright, was in Breckenridge last weekend, where she won the prestigious snowboard halfpipe Dew Tour title.

It is not certain if Bright will compete in Canada as she has also entered events in Copper Mountain in the United States scheduled for the same weekend.

Australia’s ski cross athlete Katya Crema also hopes to return to competition after missing the opening two World Cup rounds in Canada and France due to knee soreness.

Crema is improving each day and is a likely starter when the squad journeys to Innechin / San Candido resort in Italy for round three this weekend.

Fellow AIS/NSWIS athletes Jenny Owens, Sami Kennedy-Sim, Anton Grimus and Scott Kneller , who won this event in December 2010, will line up for the qualification session on Saturday (Australian time) before the top 32 men and women  battle it out in the knock out finals a day later.