No such thing as a sure thing at the 2019 Freestyle Skiing and Snowboard World Championships in Utah, as skiers that were hardly at the top of the form charts continue to take the honors. On Monday, it was Russian Dmitry Loginov and Germany’s Selina Joerg who became World Champions.
Perhaps Joerg could have been considered a favorite, but the Parallel Giant Slalom event has belonged the Czech Ester Ledecka, who skipped the Snowboard World Championships in order to compete in the Alpine Worlds starting Tuesday in Sweden.
So for Joerg, this was her chance to claim the top of the podium in an event she hasn’t done well. At 31, this was her seventh appearance in the Snowboard Worlds; she had only finished higher than eighth once. But did earn the silver behind Ledecka in PyeongChang last season, so she was one to watch.
Her opponent in the final was 23-year-old Russian Natalia Soboleva, 23, who was in her fourth World Championships, with a prior best of seventh.
Joerg was on from the start, winning her races by 0.38, 0.69 and then 2.79 seconds in the semi against Ladina Jenny (SUI). In the final, Joerg put on the pressure from the start and Soboleva, whose first two opponents had been disqualified, ended up disqualified herself. Still, both collected their first-ever Worlds medals.
The men’s event was all about 19-year-old Loginov. He blew past a series of quality opponents, taking out World Cup stalwarts Andreas Prommegger (AUT) and Edwin Coratti (ITA) in the first two rounds. He then faced fellow Russian (and former American) Vic Wild – the double gold medalist from Sochi – in the semi and posted a stunning +3.21-second win.
More of the same in the final, as Loginov faced down Slovenia’s Tim Mastnak – a winner on the World Cup tour earlier this season – who did not finish, handing the gold to Loginov.
Quite a change from PyeongChang for Loginov, who was 32nd at the Winter Games and only ninth in the PGS in the 2017 Worlds (at age 17). Although he hadn’t finished higher than sixth in seven World Cup starts this season, he’s now the World Champion.
The Freestyle and Snowboard Worlds continues through the 10th, with the Snowboard Parallel Slalom and Big Air finals on tap for Tuesday. Look for results here. Summaries:
FIS Snowboard World Championships
Park City, Utah (USA) ~ 1-10 February 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s Snowboard Cross (at Solitude Mountain)/ Big Final: 1. Mick Dierdorff (USA); 2. Hanno Douschan (AUT); 3. Emanuel Perathoner (ITA); 4. Lucas Eguibar (ESP). Small Final: 5. Jake Vedder (USA); 6. Baptiste Brochu (CAN); 7. Paul Berg (GER); 8. Leon Beckhaus (GER).
Women’s Snowboard Cross (at Solitude Mountain)/ Big Final: 1. Eva Samkova (CZE); 2. Charlotte Bankes (GBR); 3. Michela Moioli (ITA); 4. Francesca Gallina (ITA). Small Final: 5. Lindsey Jacobellis (USA); 6. Raffaella Bruto (ITA); 7. Chloe Trespeuch (FRA); 8. Carle Brenneman (CAN).
Mixed Snowboard Cross Team (at Solitude Mountain)/ Big Final: 1. Mick Dierdorff/Lindsey Jacobellis (USA); 2. Omar Visintin/Michaela Moioli (ITA); 3. Paul Berg/Hanna Ihedioha (GER); 4. Emanuel Perathoner/Francesca Gallina (ITA). Small Final: 5. Loan Bozzolo/Chloe Trespeuch (FRA); 6. Baptiste Brochu/Carle Brenneman (CAN); 7. Merlin Surget/Nelly Moenne Loccoz (FRA); 8. Kalle Koblet/Lara Casanova (SUI).
Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom/ Big Final: 1. Dmitry Loginov (RUS); 2. Tim Mastnak (SLO); Small Final: 3. Stefan Baumeister (GER); 4. Vic Wild (RUS).
Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom/ Big Final: 1. Selina Joerg (GER); 2. Natalia Soboleva (RUS); Small Final: 3. Ladina Jenny (SUI); 4. Milena Bykova (RUS).
