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World Cup silver medal duo in Calgary

27/2/2011

Australian snowboard halfpipe riders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone have continued their excellent form this season in International competition, both finishing on the podium in second place at the World Cup event in Calgary, Canada.

Despite the Australian World Champion duo starting as favourites to win after heading the women's and men's fields in qualifying two days ago, China's Xuetong Cai snatched victory away from Crawford while Johnstone was edged off the top podium step by his main World Cup rival this season Ryo Aono of Japan.

NSWIS Halfpipe Head Coach Ben Alexander was unable to pinpoint the difference between Crawford and Cai and Johnstone and Aono except to say that a few things did not go the Australians' way today.

"I suppose Holly and Nathan did not execute today quite as well as they can," Alexander said.

"They both rode very strongly, there wasn't anything major in particular but sometimes it happens."

Both Australians tried to apply more pressure after their first runs by upping the level of difficulty with their tricks.

Johnstone, who was leading Aono after his first run, which Alexander described as "impeccable", tried to step up a frontside 720 to a frontside 1080, a trick he used with huge success to win last month's World Championship.

But the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder was unable to cleanly execute the trick today.

Aono responded with a run that Johnstone later labelled as "unreal", recording a highly impressive 28.3 points while the Australian could not improve on his first run of 27.7.

Johnstone's second means that the gap between himself and Aono in the World Cup standing has widened from 540 points going into Calgary to 740.

However, with 2000 points still on offer and two rounds of competition before the close of the season, the Australian knows that the chase for the World Cup Champion "Crystal Globe" is far from over.

Crawford suffered a similar result, changing up a fourth trick cab 360 in the first run to a cab 720 in the second trip down the pipe.

Like her teammate, she was unable to execute her run cleanly and lost momentum for the rest of the run.

Crawford's consecutive silver medals over the past two events now elevates her from eighth place on the World Cup standings to the number two ranked rider, only 160 points ahead of China's Zhifeng Sun in third.

Also in the mens final, 17-year-old Vancouver 2010 Olympian Scott James recorded a PB World Cup result, finishing the event in a very credible eighth place.

The AIS halfpipe team now travels to Bardonecchia, Italy, for the season's penultimate event on March 11.

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

19/2/2011

Australia's reigning World Champion snowboard halfpipe rider Holly Crawford may start to call Canada her home away from home following yet another brilliant podium finish over the weekend.

Competing in Stoneham, Crawford chalked up her fifth podium finish on Canadian snow since first entering World Cup competition in 2005.

Coming off the back of a fourth place in Yabuli, China, five days ago, the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder competed with more purpose yesterday, finishing behind World Cup leader Xuetong Cai from China and ahead of Japan's Haruna Matsumoto.

In the rain and fog delayed final which did not finish until 10.30pm, about two hours later than scheduled, Crawford had her chance to steal first place away from Cai.

Unfortunately she slightly under-rotated her second trick, a cab 720, in the first of her two runs, which may have been the difference between Cai's 24.8 points and the Sydneysider's 24.5.

However, Crawford and her coach Ben Alexander were very pleased with the way she boarded to record her second best result of the season and her 12th World Cup podium.

While Alexander was full of praise for Crawford, he was equally complimentary of Crawford's teammate and fellow World Champion Nathan Johnstone.

Johnstone went into the Stoneham event as the competition leader but an aggressive stomach virus prevented the AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder from training all week. In fact, Johnstone was so ill that he was taken to hospital and was bed ridden for part of the lead up period.

Despite competing well below full physical strength, the 21-year-old matched his undeniable athletic ability with enormous courage and determination to qualifying in first place on 27.2 points, 1.6 points ahead of Japan's Taku Hiraoka.

Days of not being able to eat during the lead up to the final took its toll, sapping the Australian of energy and preventing Johnstone, who notched his maiden World Cup victory in China only five days ago, from performing at his best. He finished in 10th.

The event was a clean sweep for Japanese riders, Ryo Aono, Taku Hiraoka and Kazuumi Fujita, who finished 1-2-3.

Alexander said that Johnstone showed tremendous maturity and to compete at all was a credit to the Australian.

"I thought Nate was amazing. When you consider that his first time in the pipe all week was in competition, and he was still effected by the illness, I was really impressed by the way he competed," Alexander said.

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

19/2/2011

Johnstone claims maiden World Cup win

14/2/2011

Australian snowboard halfpiper Nathan Johnstone added a World Cup victory In Yabuli, China, last night to his recent World Championship crown.

Just four days after celebrating his 21st birthday, Johnstone recorded his first World Cup victory in 11 career starts, which elevates him to equal leader of this year's points table.

Although only two rounds of this year's World Cup have been completed, the win in China's north eastern Heilongjiang province in -20 C temperatures will enable Johnstone to mount a serious assault on this year's World Cup title, a feat that no other Australian has achieved.

Since finishing the 2008/2009 season as the number two ranked World Cup halfpipe rider, he has consistently shown that a World Cup title could soon be added to his already-impressive resume.

Johnstone's win in the Yabuli event, the first halfpipe World Cup event to be staged on Chinese soil, saw him finish ahead of China's Yiwei Zhang, with compatriot Wancheng Shi in third place.

The AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder was supremely dominant in his first run, finishing the first stage 5.5 points in front of the next best athlete, China's Wancheng Shi.

Johnstone, who was clearly the top qualifier earlier in the day, continued the form that captured his first World Championship title in Spain last month, by finishing with a resounding 27.6 points out of a possible 30 in his second and final run of the day.

A clean run of a frontside 900 mute to backside 900 melon, back-to-back 720s and a front side air put an end to the hopes of Johnstone's rivals.

In the women's event, Johnstone's teammate and fellow World Champion, Holly Crawford, was unable to repeat the form which enabled her to win in Spain last month, narrowly missing the podium in fourth place.

Another winter sports World Champion for Australia

4/2/2011

Australia is celebrating the addition of another World Championship to a brilliant series of recent successes after slopestyle skier Anna Segal won gold in the United States today.

Competing in the inaugural slopestyle event at the FIS Freestyle World Ski Championships at the Park City Mountain resort, 24-year-old Segal joined an exclusive club of Australian winter sports World Champions, becoming the fourth new member within three weeks.

Segal's win emphatically consolidates her position as the leading women's slopestyle athlete in the world and caps off a remarkable recovery from a broken leg, suffered less than 12 months ago.

And medal glory was also achieved by 20-year-old fellow slopestyle skier Russ Henshaw, who took out the bronze in the men's event.

Segal joins Alex Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone (both snowboard halfpipe) as newly crowned World Champions.

Segal's win, which she adds to her gold in the 2007 US Open and the 2009 X Games, was achieved ahead of Canadian Kaya Turski and American Keri Herman in third.

Segal was simply outstanding today producing the two highest scoring runs, consistently performing the largest and most difficult tricks with the highest degree of difficulty.

Fresh from a silver medal in last weekend's X Games in Aspen, Colorado in the United States, Henshaw, who went into today's final under an injury cloud, was unlucky to miss out on a higher finish.

American duo Alex Schlopy and Sam Carlson finished in first and second with 41.8 and 41.5 points while Henshaw was just behind with 41.2.

Slopestyle is new to the FIS Freestyle Ski World Championship program having developed a cult following throughout the North American and European X Games competition circuits.

A typical slopestyle competition consists of athletes performing on three rail features and three jump features. Athletes are judged on their ability to perform relevant and challenging tricks with the most style.

Current tricks range from switch 1080 (backwards take off with 3 rotations landing backwards) to double cork 1260 (double off axis flip with 3 and a half rotations).

At the post event press conference Segal, who has skied since the age of three, was elated by her win and pleased to have had the opportunity to represent Australia on the world stage.

"After a slightly disappointing sixth at last week's X Games I was determined to put on a show here at Park City," Segal said.

"The slopestyle tour in the US and Europe has been rewarding over the past few years, however, having had a taste of competing for Australia in Moguls as a junior I was really excited to finally have had the opportunity to hear Advance Australia Fair from the podium."

Ski and Snowboard of Australia Chief Executive Officer Mr Michael Kennedy said that the two medal performances will further enhance freestyle skiing's growth.

"Today's results, combined with the three gold medals at the Snowboard World Championships, again highlight the terrific breadth of talent Australia has in Winter Sports," Mr Kennedy said.

"Given Anna's and Russ's results today we are particularly excited by the possibility that slopestyle may become an Olympic sport in Sochi 2014.

"Despite its relatively low profile here in Australia compared to the professional sports, skiing and snowboarding are among Australia's largest participation sports.

"Slopestyle and the snowboard disciplines have a particularly strong connection to a youth audience so it is no surprise that we have so many talented and capable athletes in these new disciplines"

Slopestyle is currently under consideration by the International Olympic Committee for inclusion in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games to be held in Sochi, Russia.

World Cup silver medal duo in Calgary

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

Crawford's close second at Canadian World Cup

Johnstone claims maiden World Cup win

Another winter sports World Champion for Australia

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