Aussie Winter Olympians claimed a trio of medals over the weekend, while 15-year-old snowboarder Valentino Guseli introduced himself to the world with a near-perfect score on his World Cup debut.
Scotty James (half-pipe) and Laura Peel (aerials) both won silver and Tess Coady (slopestyle) won bronze.
FIS World Cup - Laax, Switzerland
World Champion James put down an impressive opening run of the opening world cup event of the season, scoring 93.75 points to lead all competitors after the first round of finals.
In his second run, James had another strong performance scoring 86.50 but was unable to better his first run in the best of two finals format, and was outdone by Yuto Totsuka of Japan on 95.25 points.
It was also a stellar start to the slopestyle season for 20-year-old snowboarder Coady, with a third place podium performance.
The 2017 World Junior Champion from Melbourne qualified for the finals in sixth place at the prestigious event featuring a star-studded field.
The finals competition took place in difficult conditions with competitors facing strong winds, with Coady producing her best in the second and final run scoring 76.93 to record the third World Cup podium of her career (1 gold, 2 bronze).
Meanwhile, snowboarding prodigy Guseli put the Olympic world on notice by blitzing the field in qualifying for the Open Halfpipe final – his debut world cup appearance.
The teen sensation from the NSW south coast wowed the judges with a near perfect 95 point score (out of 100), and later finished eighth in the final.
Guseli was identified in Australia as an extreme talent some years ago but has been forced to wait until reaching the minimum age of 15 to compete in World Cup competition and test himself against the best riders on the planet.
World Cup aerial skiing – Moscow, Russia
Australia’s world number one Laura Peel narrowly missed out on gold as she secured her third medal of the season - silver under lights in Moscow.
The 31-year-old World Champion placed first in both the qualification and first round of finals at the spectacular scaffold venue. Peel was the only female to perform a triple somersault in the medal round, scoring 92.72 points with her full-full-full jump which was unlucky not to score higher.
Athletics – Ramsden clocks Olympic qualifying time
Matthew Ramsden edged closer to his Olympic dream clocking a 1,500m Olympic qualifying time of 3:34.96 in Perth.
The time is just outside Ramsden’s best of 3:34.83 and provides a platform for the rising star to launch ahead of Tokyo.
Athletics – Good luck Ella Nelson
Rio 2016 sprinter Ella Nelson has announced her retirement from elite athletics.
Nelson competed in 200m at the Rio Games, narrowly missing out on the final. She also represented Australia at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, two World Championships, two World Relay Championships and two World Junior Championships.
Speaking on her retirement, Nelson said that the events of 2020 influenced her decision.
Football - Carpenter named best female player in Asia
Matildas defender Ellie Carpenter has been named the Asian Football Confederation's Best Women’s Player of 2020, with three Aussies named in the top four.
It is a massive honour for the 20-year-old, acknowledged by football fans around the world as Asia’s Choice for the category.
Carpenter was the youngest player shortlisted for the award, edging out teammates Caitlin Foord (3rd) and Sam Kerr (4th) to win the award.
2020 was a fruitful year for Carpenter, starting it off by helping the Matildas qualify for Tokyo 2020, playing four games and providing three assists in the unbeaten campaign.
She then won the W-League Grand Final with Melbourne City, having also helped the side claim the W-League Premiership, before signing for European giants Olympique Lyonnais.
Best of 2020.
— Ellie Carpenter (@CarpenterEllie) January 1, 2021
Ready for 2021🤛🏽 pic.twitter.com/6sqjJPQWip
Cycling
Tokyo—selected cyclists Luke Plapp, Sam Welsford and Georgia Baker all recorded Tour Down Under stage wins over the weekend, while Ritchie Porte retained his crown as king of Willunga Hill.
.@sam_welsford crosses the line first over Kaden Groves - making it three stage wins for Team Garmin Australia at the #TDUFestival 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/oRewUwIZYg
— 7Sport (@7Sport) January 24, 2021
Beach Volleyball
Olympians Becchara Palmer (London 2012) and Nikki Laird (Rio 2016) won the Cobram Classic womens’ division on Sunday, with Damian Schumann and Chris McHugh winning gold in the mens’ division.
The event is part of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour >>>
