“I couldn’t ask for a better birthday. I haven’t done the quad since the Olympics and I’ve had a bad taste in my mouth since (finishing fourth there). I’ve been thinking about doing it and when I landed my first trick today I knew I had two chances to go for it.”
That was American Chris Corning, celebrating his 19th birthday in Cardrona (NZL) with a win in the FIS Snowboard World Cup – in September – in the Audi New Zealand Winter Games. It was his seventh World Cup medal and his fifth win overall, and his second in Big Air competitions.
Corning stood second to Japan’s World Junior Champion Takeru Itsuka after round one, but launched into a backside, quad-corked 1800 melon grab to earn a sensational 98.00 points – one of the highest scores ever – on his second try to essentially end the discussion about the gold medal.
In the Freestyle Big Air events, Swiss Andri Ragettli, the reigning World Cup champion, won the men’s event in a tight duel with Canada’s Evan McEachran, and countrywoman Elena Gaskell won her first World Cup medal by taking the women’s title. American Caroline Claire won her first Big Air medal in a World Cup and her fifth career World Cup medal.
Both the FreeSki and Snowboard athletes are off now until early November as far as World Cup competitions goes, when the season starts in earnest in Modena (ITA). Summaries:
FIS Freestyle World Cup
Cardrona (NZL) ~ 7 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s Big Air: 1. Andri Ragettli (SUI), 182.00; 2. Evan McEachran (CAN), 180.40; 3. Finn Bilous (NZL), 180.20; 4. Birk Ruud (NOR), 178.60; 5. James Woods (GBR), 176.40.
Women’s Big Air: 1. Elena Gaskell (CAN), 170.40; 2. Caroline Claire (USA), 147.80; 3. Yuki Tsubota (CAN), 146.00.
FIS Snowboard World Cup
Cardrona (NZL) ~ 8 September 2018
(Full results here)
Men’s Big Air: 1. Chris Corning (USA), 190.80; 2. Takeru Otsuka (JPN), 178.40; 3. Mons Roisland (NOR), 175.40; 4. Kyle Mack (USA), 166.00; 5. Clemens Millauer (AUT), 163.80.
Women’s Big Air: 1. Reira Iwabuchi (JPN), 174.40; 2. Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN), 169.40; 3. Klaudia Medlova (SVK), 118.40.
