Nineteen-year-old NSW Institute of Sport athlete Belle Brockhoff became the first Australian woman to win a snowboard cross World Cup medal when she finished third in Montafon, Austria on Sunday.
Brockhoff finished behind the winning Canadian Dominique Maltais and Italian Raffaella Brutto. The result was a bolt from the blue with just five World Cup starts to her record.
Brockhoff plans to compete in her first full World Cup season over the next few months including the World Championships in Canada during January and the Olympic Test event in Sochi, Russia, during February.
Twenty four hours earlier, AIS rider Alex “Chumpy” Pullin signaled a return to near his best form when he qualified as sixth fastest and reached the snowboard cross final where he finished fourth after dominating his first three head to head races.
It was an encouraging start to the season for the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder who demonstrated that he will again be fast during the 2012/13 season, where he hopes to defend the World Championship title he won in 2011.
Competing in difficult conditions with heavy snow falling, Pullin set the sixth fastest time in qualifying. He then he won his opening head-to-head race, then the quarterfinal and semifinal to make it into the final of four.
“It was such a fun first World Cup in Montafon,” Pullin said. “I’m really happy to kick start the season with a final and can't wait for more.”
The event was won by Italy’s Omar Visintin who celebrated his career's first World Cup, edging out local hero, Austrian Markus Schairer, with USA rider Nick Baumgartner third.
NSWIS athlete Cameron Bolton made it through the qualifying as second fastest to the round of 32, but finished third in his heat and placed 19th overall, his best World Cup result to date. Teammates Daniel Morrissy did not get past the qualification round in 61st place while Jarryd Hughes was injured, and did not start.
The AIS & NSWIS Snowboard Cross athletes now travel to North America for a World Cup in Telluride, Colorado next weekend.
Brockhoff finished behind the winning Canadian Dominique Maltais and Italian Raffaella Brutto. The result was a bolt from the blue with just five World Cup starts to her record.
Brockhoff plans to compete in her first full World Cup season over the next few months including the World Championships in Canada during January and the Olympic Test event in Sochi, Russia, during February.
Twenty four hours earlier, AIS rider Alex “Chumpy” Pullin signaled a return to near his best form when he qualified as sixth fastest and reached the snowboard cross final where he finished fourth after dominating his first three head to head races.
It was an encouraging start to the season for the Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder who demonstrated that he will again be fast during the 2012/13 season, where he hopes to defend the World Championship title he won in 2011.
Competing in difficult conditions with heavy snow falling, Pullin set the sixth fastest time in qualifying. He then he won his opening head-to-head race, then the quarterfinal and semifinal to make it into the final of four.
“It was such a fun first World Cup in Montafon,” Pullin said. “I’m really happy to kick start the season with a final and can't wait for more.”
The event was won by Italy’s Omar Visintin who celebrated his career's first World Cup, edging out local hero, Austrian Markus Schairer, with USA rider Nick Baumgartner third.
NSWIS athlete Cameron Bolton made it through the qualifying as second fastest to the round of 32, but finished third in his heat and placed 19th overall, his best World Cup result to date. Teammates Daniel Morrissy did not get past the qualification round in 61st place while Jarryd Hughes was injured, and did not start.
The AIS & NSWIS Snowboard Cross athletes now travel to North America for a World Cup in Telluride, Colorado next weekend.
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