Klovsjo 2019: Banked slalom winners crowned

Paralympic snowboard medallists were crowned 2018-19 banked slalom World Cup champions as the Finals got underway in Klovsjo, Sweden on Thursday.

The Netherlands’ two-time Pyha 2019 world champion Lisa Bunschoten was the fastest in the women’s SB-LL2, securing her sixth banked slalom win in the World Cup season to finish atop of the standings and receive the coveted crystal globe.

The last time the 23-year-old had won the banked slalom World Cup title was in 2015-16, followed by two second places behind Australian Joany Badenhorst.

Spain’s PyeongChang 2018 bronze medallist Astrid Fina Paredes and Canadian Sandrine Hamel shared the second place in the overall banked slalom standings.

Long-awaited title

Paralympic silver medallist Patrick Mayrhofer won the men’s SB-UL race to take his second banked slalom crystal globe. The last time he had ended top of the standings was in the 2014-15 World Cup season four years ago.

While the Austrian collected 5,000 points, Australian Simon Patmore finished closely behind with 4,460. Patmore’s compatriot Sean Pollard (3,690) was third.

Fourth title for Vos

With a second place-finish in the men’s SB-LL1 behind US snowboarder Noah Elliot, Paralympic silver medallist Chris Vos secured his fourth banked slalom World Cup title.

The Dutch was followed in the overall standings by Croatia’s PyeongChang 2018 bronze medallist Bruno Bosnjak and Austria’s 38-year-old Reinhold Schett.

Tudhope claims first crystal globe

Canadian Alex Massie emerged as victor in the men’s SB-LL2 race, but it was not enough to overtake Australian 19-year-old Ben Tudhope, who ended as the banked slalom World Cup winner.

Massie finished second and USA’s Zach Miller third in the season’s rankings.

More champions

There was a Chinese 1-2 in the women’s overall SB-UL, with teenage sensation Jiangli Lu coming in first and compatriot Qiaorong Pang finishing second. Poland’s Monika Aleksandra Kotzian was third.

In the women’s SB-LL1, USA’s Brenna Huckaby and France’s Cecile Hernandez both collected 180 points and will share the overall World Cup title.

Competition resumes on Sunday with snowboard-cross events.

Full schedule and results are available on World Para Snowboard’s website.