Snowboard superstar Ester Ledecka returned from the Alpine World Championships to get back into the Snowboard World Cup and immediately scored a victory in the Parallel Giant Slalom races in PyeongChang (KOR).
Of course, this was the scene of last year’s stunning double for Ledecka, who won the Alpine Super-G in a huge upset, then won as the favorite in the Parallel Giant Slalom.
This year, Ledecka pulled off no heroics at the Alpine Worlds, but won her 16th World Cup title in a Parallel Slalom or Giant Slalom race in Snowboard.
She also finished third on Sunday and the gold-bronze combo has her in position to win her fourth consecutive Parallel Overall title and second straight Parallel Giant Slalom crown. With two races to go, Ledecka has 3,400 points, ahead of Nadya Ochner (ITA: 2,590), Germany’s Selina Joerg (2,529) and Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT: 2,480), who was third and second on the weekend.
Slovenia’s Zan Kosir and Austria’s Andreas Prommegger continued the confused pattern of the men’s Parallel Snowboard season. Each won one of the races on the weekend and in seven Parallel events this season, each has had a different winner. With his win on Sunday, Prommegger took the seasonal Parallel Giant Slalom lead from Roland Fischnaller (ITA), 2,960-2,290.
In Calgary, Japan’s Yuto Totsuka took the seasonal lead in Halfpipe with his first win of the season. With one event left, he now has 2,760 points to 2,210 for teammate Ruka Hirano, who finished second.
Spain’s Queralt Castellet outscored Xuetong Cai (CHN), 90.25-88.25 to win the women’s Halfpipe and move into second place in the seasonal World Cup standings. Castellet now has 2,120 points to Cai’s 2,900. Summaries:
FIS Snowboard World Cup
Calgary (CAN) ~ 13-15 February 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s Halfpipe: 1. Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 89.00; 2. Ruka Hirano (JPN), 87.50; 3. Derek Livingston (CAN), 85.00; 4. Raibu Katayama (JPN), 83.50; 5. Ikko Anai (JPN), 79.50. Also: 9. Toby Miller (USA), 36.25.
Women’s Halfpipe: 1. Queralt Castellet (ESP), 90.25; 2. Xuetong Cai (CHN), 88.25; 3. Sena Tomita (JPN), 87.75; 4. Kurumi Imai (JPN), 81.50; 5. Shaotong Wu (CHN), 77.50.
FIS Snowboard World Cup
PyeongChang (KOR) ~ 16-17 February 2019
(Full results here)
Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom I/ Big Final: 1. Zan Kosir (SLO); 2. Lukas Mathies (AUT); Small Final: 3. Andreas Prommegger (AUT); 4. Aaron March (ITA).
Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom II/ Big Final: 1. Prommegger (AUT); 2. Sylvain Dufour (FRA). Small Final: 3. Sang-Ho Lee (KOR); 4. Maurizio Bormolini (ITA).
Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom I/ Big Final: 1. Ester Ledecka (CZE); 2. Selina Joerg (GER); Small Final: 3. Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT); 4. Carolin Langenhorst (GER).
Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom II/ Big Final: 1. Ramona Hofmeister (GER); 2. Schoeffmann (AUT). Small Final: 3. Ledecka (SVK); 4. Cheyenne Loch (GER).
