Shaw reaches career high ranking with fourth in Swiss parallel slalom

Melbourne snowboarder Joh Shaw has matched the best result of her career, riding to fourth place in a World Cup parallel slalom in Arosa, Switzerland. Shaw set up a place in the finals with the fastest time in the first elimination run, and although she slumped to 28th in the second run, the combined time earned her a qualifying place of fifth.

Melbourne snowboarder Joh Shaw has matched the best result of her career, riding to fourth place in a World Cup parallel slalom in Arosa, Switzerland.

Shaw set up a place in the finals with the fastest time in the first elimination run, and although she slumped to 28th in the second run, the combined time earned her a qualifying place of fifth.

In the final round of 16, Shaw eliminated defending World Cup champion Nicolien Sauerbreij of The Netherlands, then defeated Austrian Heidi Krings in the quarter finals.

The OWI/AIS 26-year old scholarship athlete bowed out to reigning parallel slalom world champion Heidi Neururer of Austria in the semi-final, then also lost the battle for bronze, going down to German rider Isabelle Laboeck in the small final.

But she ended the day not only with a equal best result but also her highest World Cup ranking.

Neururer went on to win the gold medal, defeating US rider Michelle Gorgone in the final.

Shaw now sits in seventh place on the World Cup rankings with 978 points. Doris Guenther of Austria leads the parallel snowboard points table on 2018 points from Neururer on 2000.

The World Cup will now take a two week break before resuming in Kreischberg on January 6.