Alex ‘Chumpy Pullin became the first Australian wintersport athlete to win consecutive World Championships when he secured a second snowboard cross title in Stoneham, Canada, today.
In winning back-to-back World Championships, the 25-year-old Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder outclassed the world’s best, which included a dual Olympic gold medallist and a former two-time World Champion, with a flawless performance.
Not only has Pullin rewritten the record books, he did it so emphatically.
Pullin’s triumphant path to becoming a dual World Champion hit top gear two days ago when he set the fastest time during the qualification session.
He then stamped his supremacy on the World Championships by winning each of his four races on his way to standing on the top step of the podium, a feat he first did two years in La Molina, Spain.
The Australian finished ahead of Austrian and former dual World Champion Markus Schairer, with Norwegian Stian Sivertzen in the bronze medal position.
Pullin said that this win has exceeded the euphoria he felt after winning his first World title, describing the victory as a “text book” result.
“The first World Championship was obviously the best day of my life, to put a title beside my name, but the sport has developed a lot.
“There has been a huge amount of work that I have put into this. The level that the sport has grown means that it is extremely hard to win these sorts of events.
“I rode this event exactly the way I dreamed. Coming out and qualifying first, winning all my heats through to the final and winning the final from the hole shot to take the World Championship could not have been better. It was a text book win for me.
“Going into this event I had a couple of good results, a lot of good training, the body was feeling great, the equipment was great, all the support from my coach, everything has been perfectly executed.
“As the defending champion there were expectations but all I wanted to do was ride my best.
“I feel like I have achieved my best riding at the top level on the day.
“Given that I was the defending champion, this one feels better and this is now the best day of my life.”
Pullin attributes much of the win to the huge amount of physical strength work since the last northern hemisphere winter, which has consisted of weight training and intensive endurance conditioning with the AIS in Sydney.
His other area of focus has been further developing his mental toughness to a level that matches his newly-found physical strength.
“Taking something away from every event throughout my career paid off today.
“The mental side is something which is so key in our sport. There are split second decisions, nothing is routine. Things change.
“My racing mentality is in the best place it has ever been.”
Pullin has achieved the mental toughness from one simple thing.
“It’s come about from having fun with it. I’m really enjoying the racing. Although as basic as that may sound, it’s really quite hard to achieve.
“The nerves and stress with racing with five other guys is tough but I’m enjoying it.
“It’s that Aussie attitude that I like to keep hold of, although I’m far away from home, I’m just enjoying myself.
“I knew I was strong, I knew I had put in a lot of training, I knew I had done a lot of work with my equipment, but knowing all that, there was 0.01 of a second difference in qualifying and there are a lot of really good riders on this tour who I have a lot of respect for.
While Pullin has been focused on these Championships, clearly he is also planning for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games and he realises that he cannot afford to rest if his ultimate goal of an Olympic medal is to be achieved.
“I always see room for improvement,” he believes. “One of the biggest things for an athlete is the need to adapt. Today I obviously came away with a win but in a few months’ time there may be better times. The sport is moving forward and so too are the athletes.
“It’s a matter of continuing to push, continuing the search. I remain to be pretty critical of myself. Even though we’re a man-on-man discipline, I need to make sure I am in the best mental and physical condition with the best equipment.
“Every event counts. Even a bad result, I can take away something that might lead to a victory like today.”
AIS snowboard program head coach Ben Wordsworth said that he has never seen Pullin race any better than today.
“It was a great day for us and he is a true champion,” Wordsworth said.
“He was flawless today by winning everything.
“It was probably the best racing I’ve seen him do. He was really calm today. He was focused and he knew what he had to do. It came together and from the very start of racing to the end, he dominated. He deserved it.
“Apart from the Olympics, this is the biggest event in this sport. If you are the World Champion, you are the best in the sport and it carries for two years, which is phenomenal. “
Australia Day in Canada also saw 17-year-old NSWIS rider Jarryd Hughes finish in 11th in his first World Championships, showing a glimpse of what is expected of him in the future, while fellow NSWIS athletes Cam Bolton and Andy Fischer placed 41st and 49th.
In the women’s draw AIS athlete Belle Brockhoff finished 13th on her first World Championships.
In winning back-to-back World Championships, the 25-year-old Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder outclassed the world’s best, which included a dual Olympic gold medallist and a former two-time World Champion, with a flawless performance.
Not only has Pullin rewritten the record books, he did it so emphatically.
Pullin’s triumphant path to becoming a dual World Champion hit top gear two days ago when he set the fastest time during the qualification session.
He then stamped his supremacy on the World Championships by winning each of his four races on his way to standing on the top step of the podium, a feat he first did two years in La Molina, Spain.
The Australian finished ahead of Austrian and former dual World Champion Markus Schairer, with Norwegian Stian Sivertzen in the bronze medal position.
Pullin said that this win has exceeded the euphoria he felt after winning his first World title, describing the victory as a “text book” result.
“The first World Championship was obviously the best day of my life, to put a title beside my name, but the sport has developed a lot.
“There has been a huge amount of work that I have put into this. The level that the sport has grown means that it is extremely hard to win these sorts of events.
“I rode this event exactly the way I dreamed. Coming out and qualifying first, winning all my heats through to the final and winning the final from the hole shot to take the World Championship could not have been better. It was a text book win for me.
“Going into this event I had a couple of good results, a lot of good training, the body was feeling great, the equipment was great, all the support from my coach, everything has been perfectly executed.
“As the defending champion there were expectations but all I wanted to do was ride my best.
“I feel like I have achieved my best riding at the top level on the day.
“Given that I was the defending champion, this one feels better and this is now the best day of my life.”
Pullin attributes much of the win to the huge amount of physical strength work since the last northern hemisphere winter, which has consisted of weight training and intensive endurance conditioning with the AIS in Sydney.
His other area of focus has been further developing his mental toughness to a level that matches his newly-found physical strength.
“Taking something away from every event throughout my career paid off today.
“The mental side is something which is so key in our sport. There are split second decisions, nothing is routine. Things change.
“My racing mentality is in the best place it has ever been.”
Pullin has achieved the mental toughness from one simple thing.
“It’s come about from having fun with it. I’m really enjoying the racing. Although as basic as that may sound, it’s really quite hard to achieve.
“The nerves and stress with racing with five other guys is tough but I’m enjoying it.
“It’s that Aussie attitude that I like to keep hold of, although I’m far away from home, I’m just enjoying myself.
“I knew I was strong, I knew I had put in a lot of training, I knew I had done a lot of work with my equipment, but knowing all that, there was 0.01 of a second difference in qualifying and there are a lot of really good riders on this tour who I have a lot of respect for.
While Pullin has been focused on these Championships, clearly he is also planning for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games and he realises that he cannot afford to rest if his ultimate goal of an Olympic medal is to be achieved.
“I always see room for improvement,” he believes. “One of the biggest things for an athlete is the need to adapt. Today I obviously came away with a win but in a few months’ time there may be better times. The sport is moving forward and so too are the athletes.
“It’s a matter of continuing to push, continuing the search. I remain to be pretty critical of myself. Even though we’re a man-on-man discipline, I need to make sure I am in the best mental and physical condition with the best equipment.
“Every event counts. Even a bad result, I can take away something that might lead to a victory like today.”
AIS snowboard program head coach Ben Wordsworth said that he has never seen Pullin race any better than today.
“It was a great day for us and he is a true champion,” Wordsworth said.
“He was flawless today by winning everything.
“It was probably the best racing I’ve seen him do. He was really calm today. He was focused and he knew what he had to do. It came together and from the very start of racing to the end, he dominated. He deserved it.
“Apart from the Olympics, this is the biggest event in this sport. If you are the World Champion, you are the best in the sport and it carries for two years, which is phenomenal. “
Australia Day in Canada also saw 17-year-old NSWIS rider Jarryd Hughes finish in 11th in his first World Championships, showing a glimpse of what is expected of him in the future, while fellow NSWIS athletes Cam Bolton and Andy Fischer placed 41st and 49th.
In the women’s draw AIS athlete Belle Brockhoff finished 13th on her first World Championships.
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