NSWIS snowboard cross rider Adam Lambert has secured the first World Cup victory of his career and extended his lead in the World Cup standings on the second day of competition in Dongbeiya, China. The result gives him back‑to‑back podium finishes in China and his third straight podium to open the season, an encouraging sign with the Olympic Winter Games in Italy only weeks away.
 
Competing in the prestigious yellow leader’s bib for the first time in his career, Lambert delivered a strong performance in qualifying, securing sixth place to advance comfortably into finals.
 
In finals, Lambert opened strongly, winning his round‑of‑32 heat, placing second in the quarterfinals, and then taking first place in the semifinal to move through to the big‑final medal round.
 
In the big final, Lambert made an excellent start, exiting the first turn in second place behind Italy’s Lorenzo Sommarvia. He remained close behind the Italian for much of the race before using his drafting skills to move into the lead. He held that position to the finish in a tightly contested run, crossing the finish line in first just ahead of Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in second and the USA’s Nathan Pare in third, with Sommarvia fourth.
 
The long-awaited win came in Lambert’s 75th career World Cup start across individual and team events. Before today, Lambert had recorded eight career podium finishes but had not yet stood on the top step.
 
In the women’s event, NSWIS teammate Mia Clift delivered her strongest performance of the season so far, narrowly missing the podium after finishing fourth in the big final. The French team secured the top two positions, with Julia Nirani‑Pereira taking the win and Chloe Trespeuch second, while Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain was third.
 
Josie Baff also rode well, progressing to the semifinals before a third‑place finish moved her into the small final to contest positions five through eight. She went on to win the small final, and  fifth place overall.
 
“I came in today and yesterday with a pretty solid plan, and that was to not lead at the beginning, but finish first at the bottom, and I managed to execute that to perfection. I can’t believe it, I am so stocked,” said 28-year-old Lambert from Jindabyne in the NSW Snow Mountains.
 
When asked how important this victory is on the way to the Olympics and keep the momentum going:
 
“Of course it does, but it’s just important for me personally as an athlete who had been competing for so long, and this is my very first win and I am just so excited that it’s finally happened.”
 
Other Australian performances included Cam Bolton, who advanced to the quarterfinals and finished 16th, and James Johnstone, who placed 24th after reaching the round of 32. Abbey Wilson (31st), Jarryd Hughes (36th), and Declan Dent (51st) did not progress to finals.
 
Lambert’s victory elevates him to 220 points at the top of the World Cup standings, 59 points clear of Canada’s Eliot Grondin in second on 161. In the women’s standings, Baff sits in second place on 185 points, just four behind leader Charlotte Bankes on 189, while Clift is eighth on106 points.
 
The Australian Snowboard Cross Team now heads to Europe for training ahead of the Olympic Winter Games next month.

NSWIS snowboarders Josie Baff and Adam Lambert have each claimed their second consecutive podium of the season at the FIS World Cup Snowboard Cross event in Dongbeiya, China, with Baff taking silver and Lambert bronze. Their strong performances elevate the two athletes from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains to first place in the World Cup standings, earning them the coveted yellow leader’s bib.
 
After qualifying sixth on Friday, Baff opened strongly in finals, winning her quarter-final and finishing second in her semi-final to progress to the big final.
 
In a tightly contested race, Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain won, with Baff taking silver and France’s Chloé Trespeuch third. This was the16th World Cup podium of Baff’s career.
 
Mia Clift featured in the small final, finishing seventh, her best result so far this season.
 
In the men’s event, Lambert overcame a challenging opening round of qualifying, advancing via the second run in 23rd place. Once in finals, he delivered a strong display, winning his round of 32 quarter-final, and semi-final, to secure his place in the big final medal round.
 
Victory in the men’s big final went to Austria’s Jakob Dusek, Canada’s Eliot Grondin second, and Lambert was third , his eighth World Cup podium.
 
Lambert commented after the race:
 
“The course in China is very short, very sharp, things are coming at you quickly here and you’ve got to be ready. I came in today with a plan I wanted to execute, and I managed to execute that plan. said 28-year-old two-time Olympian.
 
“For sure this feels like the best form of my career, but Boardercross is a cruel sport, and your luck can change on a dime. Of course, this gives me confidence going into the Olympic Games, but I need to stay grounded in the reality that I’ve got to work for every inch on the track. No freebies.”
 
On wearing the yellow bib for the first time in his career, Lambert added:
 
“Yes, it absolutely does feel like an honour. Obviously just two races into the season anything can happen but for now I will savour the feeling, and to do it at the same time as Josie who was my neighbour for most of my childhood is a special privilege.”
 
Other Australian results included Cam Bolton and Abbey Wilson progressing to the quarterfinals, with Bolton finishing tenth and Wilson achieving a personal best of 16th. Jarryd Hughes placed 23rd in his return from injury, James Johnston was 24th, and Declan Dent placed 52nd, missing the finals. Unfortunately, Amber Essex did not compete after sustaining a knee injury in training and will undergo further assessment after returning to Australia.
 
After two World Cup events, Baff led the women’s standings with 140 points, 10 ahead of Italy’s Michela Moioli on 130. In the men’s standings, Lambert sits atop with 120 points, holding a 10‑point advantage over Grondin.

The Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) pays tribute to one of Australia’s most accomplished winter sport athletes, Belle Brockhoff, who has announced her retirement from Snowboard Cross competition.
 
Brockhoff concludes an extraordinary career spanning more than a decade at the top of Snowboard Cross and Australia’s first female World Cup winner,17 World Cup medals including four victories, a mixed team World Championship gold medal, together with three Olympic appearances highlighted by her near‑podium fourth‑place finish at the Beijing 2022 Games.
 
She proudly carried forward a legacy established by her uncle Peter Brockhoff, a dual Olympic alpine skier, Harold Brockhoff one of the original pioneers at Mt Buller, and great‑aunt Joyce Brockhoff, an Australian skiing champion.
 
Brockhoff first took to the snow on skis at age three before switching to snowboarding at ten and never looked back, winning an interschool national title just three weeks later.
 
She made her World Cup debut in 2010 in Parallel Giant Slalom before transitioning to Snowboard Cross in 2012. Her breakthrough moment came in 2016 with a World Cup victory in Baqueira Beret, Spain, the first ever by an Australian woman in the discipline. She later partnered with Jarryd Hughes to win the mixed team World Championship gold in 2021 at Idre Fjäll, Sweden. Brockhoff also finished in the top three of the World Cup standings three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2020.
 
In a statement shared with her community, the 33-year-old from Melbourne reflected on the significance of her journey.
 
“Snowboarding has given me so much over the years, but the one thing that I am most grateful for, has been the people. My family, friends, coaches, teammates, rivals and the supporters who pushed me to be better every single run. You’ve all given this sport its heart.
 
“For those who have been following, I have been rehabbing a complicated compound fracture in my wrist and a fractured L1 in the spine. I’ve rehabbed and trained hard all my life for many months but I know my body’s limits. It is with this and more than 20 years of snowboarding, that I know in my heart it is time to step away from competitive racing.
 
“I love snowboarding and I will still go riding, share the love of snowboarding with the next generation, and stay connected to this incredible community. But right now, the competitive chapter that has defined so much of my life has come to a close.”
 
OWIA CEO Geoff Lipshut praised Brockhoff’s exceptional contribution to Australian snowboarding and remarkable career.
 
“Belle is our pioneer Snowboard Cross woman, who showed Australian women can be the best in the world. The first female to win a World Cup medal, win a World Championship and her absolute fearlessness from day one when facing the best in the world.
 
“Belle is the trailblazer for the next groups of successful female snowboard cross athletes including Josie Baff, Amber Essex, Mia Clift and Abbey Wilson.
 
“Belle was one of those athletes who broke the mould and changed things around her. Her amazing fourth place at the 2022 Olympics was all her, the riding to get to the Olympic final was miraculous. The final did not work out or a medal, but an Olympic final and fourth place is a measure of Belle's competitiveness on every level.
 
“Belle has been an important OWIA athlete voice of a range of issues together with being a key partner athlete who always held up her end and executed her responsibilities.
 
“I wish Belle much success and happiness as she navigates her next step and stages of life.”