Sign Up
..... Connect Australia with the world.
Categories

Posted: 2023-03-27 03:04:58

Australia's snowboarders have finished the World Cup season on a high, with Valentino Guseli clinching the overall title as top men's park and pipe snowboarder overall.

Guseli's fellow Australian Olympian Josie Baff also capped a brilliant season, taking victory in the last women's snowboard cross event for a place on the podium in the overall World Cup standings.

At 17, Guseli has already made history as the first snowboarder to make a World Cup podium in three disciplines — big air, slopestyle and half-pipe.

The Canberra-born young star made the final in men's half-pipe at the Beijing Olympics last year, finishing sixth behind champion Japan's Ayumu Hirano and silver medallist Scotty James.

This season, Guseli showed his versatility with six podium finishes across different disciplines, including one gold, four silver and one bronze, the latter in the X-Games in Aspen.

He dominated the competition, finishing on 440 points overall, more than 100 clear of his nearest challenger, Dusty Henricksen of the United States. Australia's Scotty James finished eighth on 180 points — James came third in half-pipe.

Guseli also won a Crystal Globe for winning the big air competition for the season, finished second in half-pipe, and came third behind Henricksen in slopestyle.

Baff bookends season with World Cup wins

A snowboarder smiles with an Australian flag as she stands on the right of a podium holding a crystal globe trophy.
Australia's Josie Baff (R) won the final snowboard cross World Cup race of the season, coming third overall.(Supplied: FIS)

Baff came 18th in snowboard cross at the Beijing Olympics last year and did not advance from the quarter-finals in the mixed event with Adam Lambert.

However, the 20-year-old has had a brilliant follow-up season, taking five medals in World Cup events and a silver medal at the World Championships earlier this month.

View More
  • 0 Comment(s)
Captcha Challenge
Reload Image
Type in the verification code above