Australia’s world champion snowboard halfpipe riders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone unveiled impressive new tricks on their way to strong performances in the Sprint US Grand Prix, a long-established event held at Copper Mountain in Colorado, USA, on Saturday December 10.
In their first competition for the 2011/2012 northern hemisphere winter, Crawford and Johnstone chose arguably one of the toughest fields likely to assemble this season to transform months of training and practice into a competitive environment. Although their new tricks, Nathan’s double cork and Holly’s backside 540, were not enough to propel them onto the podium, they both finished the day knowing that their repertoires are now expanded, which will enhance their prospects this season. Americans Luke Matrani and Louie Vito finished in first and second, reversing their places in the same event in 2010, while compatriot Gregory Bretz made up the third position on the podium. Matrani was flawless in his first run of the day, amassing an incredible 96.40 points, establishing a vice-like grip on victory. Johnstone finished in eighth place overall with 82 points, among a field of more than 90 athletes, after qualifying for the final in sixth position. Crawford was even more impressive, placing 5th overall and qualifying for the final in seventh spot. Crawford finished the day on 76.20 points, behind Americans Kelly Clark and Made Schaffrick with Spain’s Quera Castellet in third. Both Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holders now journey to Colorado’s Dew Tour in Beckenridge to compete in next week’s halfpipe event. Other NSWIS athletes competing at Copper Mountain were Jarryd Williams (39th), Steph Magiros (34th), Alex Fitch (44th) and Sam Murphy (78th). Victorian Institute of Sport athlete Scott James finished in 37th place OWI athletes have continued their successful year by taking out a number of awards at the annual NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards.
Major winners on the night included Holly Crawford, who claimed the Samsung Electronics Australia Female Athlete of the Year and Nathan Johnstone, who took out the Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement category. The NSWIS Winter Sports Program, which includes, Snowboarding, Mogul Skiing, Ski Cross and individual scholarships for Alpine Skiing and Cross Country won for the Program of the year Award. Alex “Chumpy” Pullin and Scott Kneller were also nominated for awards on the night but unfortunately missed out. NSWIS Chief Executive Officer Charles Turner said all of the nominated athletes had done the Institute proud in 2011 but Magnussen’s world beating swims, and the history breaking performances of Crawford and Johnston to win FIS Snowboard World Championship gold, were particularly outstanding. “It has been another year of NSWIS athletes shining on both the domestic and international stage and it is great that we can come here tonight and celebrate everyone’s achievements,” Turner said. “For Holly and Nathan, to do what they did, that was quite amazing. Our winter sport athletes have definitely picked up in recent years and for both of them to win their half-pipe event, and for Australia to top the overall medal tally at the snowboard world championships was exciting.” Full list of award winners: The Australian College of Physical Education Academic Excellence (General): Gabrielle King (Sailing) The University of Sydney Academic Excellence: Kenneth To (Swimming) & Jenny Blow (Goalball) The University of New South Wales Career Development: Eamon Sullivan (Swimming) Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement: Nathan Johnstone (Winter Sports) Out & About Marketing and Media Junior Athlete of the Year: Caleb Ewan (Cycling) Classic Sportswear Most Memorable Moment: Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay (Matthew Abood; James Magnussen; Eamon Sullivan) Office of Communities, Sport and Recreation Regional Athlete of the Year: Nathan Outteridge (Sailing) Sydney City Toyota Team Athlete of the Year: James Magnussen (Swimming) Sportspro Coach of the Year: Brant Best (Swimming) Sydney Olympic Park Authority Program of the Year: Winter Sports Samsung Electronics Australia Female Athlete of the Year Award: Holly Crawford (Winter Sports) ClubsNSW Male Athlete of the Year Award: James Magnussen (Swimming) Thanks to NSWIS Five of Australia’s sporting stars are announced as finalists for the Australian Institute of Sport’s prestigious 2011 Athlete of the Year Award.
Evan O’Hanlon (Paralympic track and field), Alex Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (snowboard half pipe), Nathan Johnstone (snowboard half pipe) and Anna Meares (track cycling) will vie for the AIS’s top individual honour. Three of the five nominated athletes form part of the AIS’s winter sport contingent, with Pullin, Crawford and Johnstone all crowned as world champions this year. Pullin’s gold medal in La Molina, Spain, rewrote the record books as he became the first Australian to win a world championship snowboarding title. However, Meares and O’Hanlon will provide stiff competition, with the cycling and track and field stars both excelling in 2011. O’Hanlon, the reigning Paralympic 100-metre and 200-metre champion and world record holder, claimed gold in both events at this year’s IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand, as well as a silver medal in the 400-metre, and bronze in the 4x100-metre relay. Meares again showed why she is regarded as the queen of the track, claiming three gold medals in the keirin, sprint and team sprint events at the 2011 UCI World Championships held in September in Copenhagen, Denmark. ‘For 30 years now the AIS has pursued sporting excellence, and the five finalists in 2011 have all enjoyed an exceptional year,’ said acting AIS Director, Phil Borgeaud. ‘Our winter sport athletes continue to grow in experience and expertise and their performance at the world championships in Spain this year highlighted their talent. ‘Anna positioned herself as the standout women’s track cyclist in 2011, while Evan has proven himself as a world-class champion by beating the best athletes on the international sporting stage. ‘I would like to congratulate all the athletes, coaches and programs who have been chosen as finalists for the 2011 AIS Awards and wish them the best of luck when the winners are announced on 10 November.’ In other categories, Meares and women’s team sprint partner Kaarle McCulloch join the canoe sprint men’s K4 1000-metre crew (Tate Smith, David Smith, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear) and the women’s double scull rowing crew of Kim Crow and Kerry Hore as finalists in AIS Team of the Year. The 2011 AIS Awards will be presented at the AIS Arena in Canberra on Thursday evening, 10 November. Reigning half pipe snowboard world champion Holly Crawford earned a fighting second place in the opening World Cup event of the 2011/2012 season, which kicked off today at Cardona, on New Zealand's south island.
The Australian Institute of Sport / NSW Institute of Sport rider finished behind China's Xuetong Cai, with Switzerland's Ursina Haller filling the other podium position in the only World Cup event to be held in the southern hemisphere this season. The second place was Crawford's 16th time on a World Cup podium from 31 starts. After winning her heat and in doing so setting up automatic qualification for the final, Crawford's impressive first run put herself within reach of starting the season with a victory. However, Cai, who narrowly prevented Crawford from grabbing the world number one ranking at the end of last season's World Cup, has clearly prepared well in her lead up and recorded a slightly higher first run score. The Australian fought back with a better second run than her Chinese rival, including well executed back-to-back 720s and a front-side 540, but it was just short of escalating Crawford into the top position. AIS snowboard head coach Ben Wordsworth said that the result was extremely pleasing and it will boost Crawford's confidence for the coming season. "Today shows Holly should be in for another successful World Cup year," Wordsworth said. Australia's other half pipe current world champion and fellow AIS / NSWIS rider, Nathan Johnstone, had a day of mixed fortunes, by his lofty standards. He finished in fourth place behind Finland's Janne Korpi, who recorded his eighth World Cup victory, China's Yiwei Zhang and Dutchman Dimi de Jong. Johnstone put down a clean first run, although his score suffered slightly when he ran out of pipe. The 21-year-old AIS / NSWIS rider performed significantly better in the second run but at that stage he was unable to bridge the gap between himself and a place on the podium. The three athletes finishing above Johnstone displayed more difficult tricks and higher amplitude, which impressed the six judges. The man who Johnstone finished ahead of last year to secure two World Cup Crystal Globe trophies, and also picked up the world's number one ranking, Japan's Ryo Aono, was disappointed by his 11th place. Both Crawford and Johnstone will resume on-snow training in Cardona for a week before flying back to Australia for ongoing dry-land preparation for the Grand Prix event at Copper Mountain, Colorado, in the United States, in December. Following unprecedented winter sports success during the northern hemisphere season, Ski and Snowboard Australia have named its four new World Champions as joint winners of the Suzuki Snowsports Athlete of the Year.
At a gala function in Melbourne on Thursday, snowboarders Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (halfpipe), Nate Johnstone (halfpipe) and freestyle skier, Anna Segal (slopestyle), were named as the sport's premier athletes for season 2010/11. Alex Pullin had a triumphant year, winning the World Cup snowboard cross title as well as the World Championship. Nate Johnstone arrived in the big time in 2011 after an injury-troubled 2010, emerging as a real star of the halfpipe world, winning the freestyle snowboard overall World Cup title, the halfpipe World Cup and the World Championship. Holly Crawford, a two-time Olympian, narrowly missed out on the season long World Cup title, finishing the season ranked second, but she was part of the magic in Spain at the Snowboard World Championship in January where Australia won three titles in 36 hours and finished the event on top of the Nations' gold medal tally. With slopestyle looming as a possible inclusion on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games program, the world's best slopestyle athletes were out in force at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championships. Segal, who started her skiing career as a moguls skier, produced a superb run to win Australia's fourth World Championship for the year. Recent past winners of the Snowsports Athlete of the Year award include Olympic gold medalists Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila, who shared the honour last year, two-time Olympic medalist Dale Begg-Smith and aerials great Jacqui Cooper. With Cooper retired, and Lassila, Bright and Begg-Smith all sitting out the season following the Olympics, the emergence of four new stars was a huge bonus for snowsports. Ski and Snowboard Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, said the exceptional season had made it impossible for the judges to separate the top honour. "Really, each won a world championship, and that was the key goal for everyone during the year," Kennedy said. "It is the highest achievement outside of the Olympic Games that an athlete can strive for in winter sport. "It is an extraordinary year, and we thought each deserved the honour of being recognised with the sport's top award." Athlete of the Year: Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford, Anna Segal Alpine - Scott Kneller Cross Country - Esther Bottomley Freestyle - Anna Segal Snowboard - Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford Junior Athlete of the Year: Britteny Cox Alpine - Luke Laidlaw Cross Country - Phillip Bellingham Freestyle - Britteny Cox Snowboard - Scott James Coach of the Year - Ben Alexander, Ben Wordsworth Dev. Coach of the Year - Peter Topalovic Outstanding Achievement - Russ Henshaw Rising Star - Greta Small Following unprecedented winter sports success during the northern hemisphere season, Ski and Snowboard Australia have named its four new World Champions as joint winners of the Suzuki Snowsports Athlete of the Year. At a gala function in Melbourne on Thursday, snowboarders Alex 'Chumpy' Pullin (snowboard cross), Holly Crawford (halfpipe), Nate Johnstone (halfpipe) and freestyle skier, Anna Segal (slopestyle), were named as the sport's premier athletes for season 2010/11. Alex Pullin had a triumphant year, winning the World Cup snowboard cross title as well as the World Championship. Nate Johnstone arrived in the big time in 2011 after an injury-troubled 2010, emerging as a real star of the halfpipe world, winning the freestyle snowboard overall World Cup title, the halfpipe World Cup and the World Championship. Holly Crawford, a two-time Olympian, narrowly missed out on the season long World Cup title, finishing the season ranked second, but she was part of the magic in Spain at the Snowboard World Championship in January where Australia won three titles in 36 hours and finished the event on top of the Nations' gold medal tally. With slopestyle looming as a possible inclusion on the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games program, the world's best slopestyle athletes were out in force at the 2011 FIS Freestyle World Championships. Segal, who started her skiing career as a moguls skier, produced a superb run to win Australia's fourth World Championship for the year. Recent past winners of the Snowsports Athlete of the Year award include Olympic gold medalists Torah Bright and Lydia Lassila, who shared the honour last year, two-time Olympic medalist Dale Begg-Smith and aerials great Jacqui Cooper. With Cooper retired, and Lassila, Bright and Begg-Smith all sitting out the season following the Olympics, the emergence of four new stars was a huge bonus for snowsports. Ski and Snowboard Australia CEO, Michael Kennedy, said the exceptional season had made it impossible for the judges to separate the top honour. "Really, each won a world championship, and that was the key goal for everyone during the year," Kennedy said. "It is the highest achievement outside of the Olympic Games that an athlete can strive for in winter sport. "It is an extraordinary year, and we thought each deserved the honor of being recognised with the sport's top award." Athlete of the Year: Alex Pullin, Nate Johnstone, Holly Crawford, Anna Segal
Coach of the Year - Ben Alexander, Ben Wordsworth Dev. Coach of the Year - Peter Topalovic Outstanding Achievement - Russ Henshaw Rising Star - Greta Small Australia's snowboard world champions, Alex "Chumpy" Pullin, Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone, were given a heroes' welcome home today to celebrate their record breaking achievements during the northern hemisphere's winter.
The trio was greeted by Olympic Winter Institute of Australia Chairman Mr Geoff Henke, other members of the OWI Board, officials, coaches and the media at a special function at The Icehouse in Melbourne's Docklands precinct. Winter Olympic Games gold medalist, Steven Bradbury, hosted the function. The legendary speed skater recounted a year that was not only celebrated as the first season to boast three current world champions but also saw Pullin and Johnstone finish the season as World Cup winners in boardercross and halfpipe respectively. Crawford came agonisingly close to making the World Cup successes a three-way reason to celebrate, with her end of season points tally leaving her a close second in the women's halfpipe World Cup. OWI Chief Executive Geoff Lipshut said the function was a fitting tribute to the unprecedented success achieved by the three Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holders. "The achievements by Chumpy, Holly and Nate have been outstanding, results that are better than we could have dreamed of," Lipshut said. "There is no doubt that their successes will provide great motivation to the younger athletes in their sport where Australians show a real affinity. "I think that we will see many young boarders during Australia's next few winters all wanting to follow in the footsteps of these great athletes." Henke told the gathering that the successes were clear proof that the OWI programs, supported by the AIS, NSWIS and VIS are paying handsome dividends. He said that before the inception of the Institute programs in 1994 that Australia's medal tally in international alpine sports was 37 in total - 12 gold, 9 silver and 16 bronze. The current tally is 267 medals - 116 gold, 77 silver and 74 bronze. "We are thrilled by the amazing results achieved by Alex, Holly and Nathan and in particular we believe the program will continue to provide the perfect preparation for the next Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014." Henke said. Australian halfpipe rider Nathan Johnstone has added two World Cup titles to the World Championship he won in January to round out a dominant international season.
Johnstone, 21, won the Freestyle Snowboard Overall World Cup title and also headed the end of season points tally in halfpipe, to become the first Australian snowboarder to take home two Crystal Globe trophies, the ultimate prize in World Cup competition, in the one season. It rounds out a highly successful 24-hour period for Australian snowboarders in Arosa, Switzerland, after Alex "Chumpy" Pullin won the final event of the snowboard cross season to finish his year with the number one world ranking. Johnstone's halfpipe team mate Holly Crawford was runner-up in the final round of competition to finish the season ranked second, the best result of her career. Johnstone, from NSW's Perisher, won the overall title by 550 points ahead of Austrian Clemens Schattschneider and the halfpipe by 710 points, in front of Japanese rider Ryo Aono. The NSW Institute of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder was predictably jubilant after the season ending event in Arosa, where he placed fifth, behind Swiss trio Iouri Podladtchiko, Jan Scherrer and Patrick Burgener, who filled the podium places. "At the beginning of the season I really wanted to get that Globe and I've finally got two of them, it's amazing," Johnstone said. "It would have been nice to have done a little bit better today but I'm still happy with fifth. "Winning the overall was the icing on the cake with the season." Johnstone has achieved the world number one ranking after just 15 starts at World Cup level and seems headed towards an even brighter future in terms of further success, on and off the snow. He has yet to contemplate what the titles will do for his career but is pleased with the knowledge that he is contributing back to his sport. "Hopefully this will help with funding and more media coverage of snowboarding in Australia. I think it will do a lot of good things." Johnstone is looking forward to returning home to Australia after a grueling season and plans to take a few weeks off "hanging out with friends" before sitting down with his coach Ben Alexander to work out the goals for the next stage of his march towards the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. Crawford also shared in a season to remember by finishing in second place in the World Cup Halfpipe and Freestyle Overall titles, 500 points behind China's Xuetong Cai in both categories. In a season that should not be overlooked by Johnstone's and Pullin's titles, the Sydneysider delivered brilliant results all year. Crawford backed up a win in the previous World Cup round with a second in the season ender in Arosa behind Spain's Queralt Castellet, who recorded her first World Cup win. Crawford needed to out-score her Chinese rival by more than 700 points last night, but with Cai finishing in third place, Crawford's task was impossible. However, finishing the year as the number two ranked halfpiper and winning the World Championship in Spain in January has clearly establish her as one of the elite in her sport. Snowboard halfpipe World Champions Nathan Johnstone and Holly Crawford continued their excellent World Cup form delivering dual gold medal performances in Bardonecchia, Italy.
The resounding wins are the first time Australian athletes have won both the men's and women's events in the one discipline at World Cup level. The double victory at Bardonecchia was the penultimate round of this year's World Cup series as Australia's halfpipe team is celebrating their best ever international season. Johnstone's win at the halfpipe site of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games has shot the 21-year-old to the top position of the World Cup halfpipe standings and also given him leadership of the overall snowboard freestyle points table ahead of Japan's Ryo Anono. Fellow Australian Institute of Sport and NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holder, Holly Crawford, is also enjoying a strong position in second place on the points table and is now applying pressure to China's competition leading rider Xuetong Cai heading into the last event. With the men's and women's winners of the next round chasing 1000 points, Crawford and Johnstone have transformed the season-ending event in Arosa, Switzerland, on March 26, into a winner-take-all shoot out between the Australians and their Japanese and Chinese rivals. Johnstone said last night after easily accounting for French duo Johann Baisamy and Arthur Longo, who finished second and third, that he is looking forward to competing in Arosa. "I'm pretty happy," Johnstone said after the win. "I really wanted to get a win here to get me back in a good position in the points ranking. "Now, I guess, we could have a good show in Arosa." Crawford was victorious over France's Mirabelle Thovex, who enjoyed her first World Cup podium, while Polish rider Paulinas Ligocka-Andrzejewska was third. Halfpipe head coach Ben Alexander said he was ecstatic about the double victory. "To see Holly and Nate standing on top of the podium was an incredible sight," Alexander said. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Australia's snowboard halfpipe team has capped off an unbelievable 48 hours at the World Championships in La Molina, Spain, by adding another two World Championship titles.
Victories by Australian Institute of Sport/NSW Institute of Sport scholarship holders Holly Crawford and Nathan Johnstone in the men's and women's halfpipe finals follow Alex "Chumpy" Pullin's historic gold in the snowboard cross, leaving Australia on top of the medal tally at the FIS Snowboard World Championships. For 26-year-old Crawford and 20-year-old Johnstone, both from NSW's Perisher resort, the World titles are their career-best achievements. Crawford not only had to battle against her competition, she also had to contend with a severe bout of food poisoning that left her extremely lethargic going into the final. But not even food poisoning could prevent Crawford from getting caught up in the excitement of the biggest victory of her career. "I am overjoyed and extremely happy," Crawford said. "The important thing today was staying calm. A number of the other girls looked like they were pushing it a little too hard. I remained relaxed and did the basics as well as possible, which is what we have been focusing on in practice." Johnstone said that he used the prospect of winning the World Championships as a goal to spur himself on during his eight-month recovery period after breaking his ankle and missing the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. "Winning today means a lot," Johnstone said. "I've been training really hard this season and targeted this event to do well. I'm stoked." Johnstone is not going to rest on his laurels and has set himself the goal of winning the 2010/2011World Cup tour. Halfpipe head coach Ben Alexander said that the cornerstone of Crawford's and Johnstone's titles are linked to keeping the "fun" element in training. "Obviously hard work is important but we have been concentrating on making sure they continue to enjoy their snowboarding," Alexander said. "It's important to keep it simple and keep going big. Today they had good amplitude and great execution." Crawford set up the World Championship title by grabbing the lead in her first run with a stunning performance overcoming a howling wind that caused havoc for most of the other athletes. She finished on 26.7 points, 3.3 points ahead of Swiss rider Ursina Haller with China's defending World Champion Jiayu Liu making up the other podium place with 22.5 points. Johnstone also won his title with his first run and, like his teammate, handled the conditions better than the other 11 finalists finishing on 26.8 points, 0.6 ahead of Switzerland's Iouri Podladtchikov. Fin Markus Malin was in third place, a further 2.5 points behind the Australian. Crawford, a veteran of nine years on Australia's national team and 11 World Cup podiums, now adds a gold medal to the silver she won in the 2009 World Championships in Gangwon, Korea. Crawford and Johnstone will not have long to savor their wins - they head to Aspen, Colorado, in the United States, to compete in the X-Games within two days. 2010 Olympic finalist Holly Crawford had a fifth place finish in the US Grand Prix series event at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
The AIS athlete executed her run in the final with little risk to move from seventh place after qualifications to fifth place in the final. AIS team-mate Nathan Johnstone was also reserved with a ninth place finish in the final, against a very high quality men's field. Coach Ben Alexander, said afterwards: "the heavy snowfall made the pipe a challenge all day. I was pleased that both Holly and Nathan had complete runs in the final; a good start to the winter." Holly and Nathan will next compete at the Dew Tour series event in Breckenridge, Colarado, on December 16-19. Nathan Johnstone has made an impressive comeback to elite snowboard halfpipe competition, taking the silver medal at the 2010 Junior World Championships in Cardrona, New Zealand.
Johnstone was number two in the world on the FIS World Cup circuit in 2009, but suffered an ankle injury in January in training for Vancouver 2010, missing out on a chance to make his Olympic debut. The 19-year-old AIS scholarship holder placed third in his qualifying heat on 36.5 points from the judges, with Japanese rider Masakaze Yoshida leading the points on 41.3. With only the top two from each of the three heats gaining direct entry to the final, he then lined up in the semi-final alongside Vancouver Olympian Scott James. The former world number two put down a smooth first run to sit in second place on 39.3 points, then switched up to Cab 10 instead of a Cab 7 for his second run to top the semi-final result list with 41.7 points. Scott James put down a smooth first run in the semis but unfortunately fell on his final run, missing out on a place among the top six who progressed through to the final. In the final Johnstone performed his same run - a Front 9, Back 9, Front 7, Cab 10 and a straight air - to end the competition in second place on 42.2 points. Japanese rider Taku Hiraoka took the gold on 44.2 points, with Manuel Pietropoli from Italy in third place on 39.8. James ended up in 15th place, while fellow Aussie Jarryd Williams finished in 22nd position after narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-final by just 0 .1 of a point. Jason Maxfield placed 30th, Charlie Steinbacher 31st and Sam Murphy 39th. In the women's competition, Amber Arazny placed 15th, one spot ahead of Lauren Stavely. |
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