SNOWBOARD: Alex Pullin was the leading Australian rider in the snowboard cross event at the FIS Ski and Snowboard World Championships in Kreischberg, Austria, finishing sixth.
While he would have loved to have wo his third consecutive world crown, following victories in 2011 and 2013, the OWIA athlete watched Italian Luca Matteotti take the title.
The Italian captured his first major gold, finishing ahead of silver medallist Kevin Hill from Canada and third placed American Nick Baumgartner.
Pullin was in dominant form in the early rounds, winning both his heats in the round of 32 and 16.
But in the semi-finals, he lost pace at a crucial time, and couldn’t rebuild the momentum required to win a place in the final four.
Instead he had to settle for sixth overall, with his OWIA/NSWIS teammates, Cameron Bolton finishing 15th and Jarryd Hughes in 31st.
Australia’s sole representative in the women’s event, Belle Brockhoff, was seventh in a strong performance on the tight and testing Kreischberg course. This result was the same impressive seventh that she achieved at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games 11 months ago. The Victorian was taken out in the small final accidentally by another competitor and fell heavily. She had a bandaged leg post event but still hopes to compete in the upcoming X Games.
The title went to American Lindsey Jacobellis, with France’s Nelly Moenne Loccoz taking the silver and the bronze medal to Italian Michela Moioli.
It has been a tough season for the snowboard cross athletes with the lack of snow in Europe forcing the cancellation of World Cup events.
In the snowboard halfpipe, dual Olympic medallist Torah Bright, an OWIA/NSWIS athlete, qualified for the six woman final with the third best score for the day.
Fellow Aussies Emily Arthur was 16th and Holly Crawford was 21st and both missed the cut for the final, which is scheduled for Sunday morning (Australian time).
In the men’s half pipe, Scotty James won heat one and Kent Callister took the honours in heat two, to give the Australians two athletes in the field of 10 in the final Saturday night (Austrian time). Nate Johnstone just missed the final placing seventh in heat 2.
The half pipe finals at the World Championships get underway at 1800 local time on Saturday night, which is 5am Sunday morning (AEST).
Results
Women’s snowboard cross World Championships, Kreischberg, Austria
1. Lindsey Jacobellis (USA), 2. Nelly Moenne Loccoz (FRA), 3. Michela Moioli (ITA), 4. Alexandra Jekova(BUL), 5. Dominique Maltais (CAN), 6. Eva Samkova (CZE), 7. Belle Brockhoff (AUS)
Men’s snowboard cross World Championships, Kreischberg, Austria
1. Luca Matteotti (ITA), 2. Kevin Hill (CAN), 3. Nick Baumgartner (USA), 4.Nate Holland (USA), 5. Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT), 6. Alex Pullin (AUS), 15. Cam Bolton (AUS), 31 Jarryd Hughes (AUS).
