Whistler's victory streak at the Freeride Junior World Championships (FJWC) has ended.
Kayla Constantini proved unable to execute her game plan in Kappl, Austria, finishing 11th among ladies' skiers with no score. However, Canadian fans will want to take note of Anjah Morgan-Smith's 83.67-point silver medal run. Hannah Baldwin (90.00) clinched gold for the United States, and bronze landed around Swiss contender Elfy Rouiller's neck (80.00).
"I'm thrilled to be the world champion," said Baldwin in a press release. "The event was incredible, and I'm excited to move on to the next stage of my career."
Local athlete Kohen Tacilauskas did register a score, but it wasn't the number he desired: 49.67 points, good enough for 19th. Fellow Whistler Freeride Club (WFC) member Tannen DesBrisay was expected to compete too, but official men's ski results did not list his name.
Instead, Frenchman Noah Peizerat emerged triumphant (90.67) ahead of runner-up Leo Flett from Switzerland (83.00) and Germany's Mika Rolshoven in third (76.67).
"It was an amazing run. My legs were burning at the end, but I executed it just the way I wanted. Becoming a world champion is indescribable...it’s everything I dreamed of, and I’m so stoked!" Peizerat told reporters.
History made
Freeride snowboarding fans may never forget Kea Chretien's name after he made France proud with an unrivalled third straight FJWC title (91.00).
Remarked Chretien in a release: "The conditions [on Monday] were incredible, and I felt great out there. I am happy with my line, and even with a small adjustment, things turned out well. Becoming a three-time champion in Kappl is unbelievable, and I never imagined this at the start—it’s truly special."
American Tyler Thomson (78.00) and Theodor Salen of Norway (73.67) rounded out the men's snowboard podium, but neither could approach Chretien's stratospheric performance.
Last but not least, 16-year-old Amélie Martin prevailed in the women's snowboard division (73.00). Brooke Hansen took second place home to New Zealand (70.00) and Teagan Rilee Turner was third (68.00).
"I felt really happy about my performance today. Even though I had a small fall, I recovered quickly and enjoyed riding down the snow—it was such a fun experience overall,” Martin commented.
Full results from Kappl are available here.
