Drama in Rogla as Hofmeister and Fischnaller take PGS season-finale wins
Mar 15, 2023·Snowboard Alpine
Ten days after the World Championships wrapped up in Bakuriani, Georgia, the culmination of the parallel giant slalom World Cup campaign took place amid much drama on the slopes of Rogla (SLO).
Austria’s Sabine Schoeffmann won the women’s race on Wednesday (15 March), beating a returning Ester Ledecka (CZE) in the big final, the two-time Olympic snowboarding champion competing for the first time since claiming her second title, at Beijing 2022. Recently crowned PGS world champion, Tsubaki Miki (JPN), rounded out the podium in third, beating Italy’s Lucia Dalmasso in the small final.
Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) won the PGS overall title in the women’s event after claiming enough points in eighth-place to bag an extraordinary fourth consecutive globe in the discipline. By virtue of progressing past the qualifying run, which saw the only other potential challenger, Ladina Jenny (SUI), get knocked out by Schoeffmann, Hofmeister came top of the pile, despite a season plagued by a back injury. The 26-year-old finished on 359 points, while Schoeffmann came second on 261, with Jenny third on the same total.
Hofmeister would have been disappointed not to collect more points toward her challenge for the overall title, which finishes in Germany on Saturday with the slalom event. Knocked out of the quarter finals by familiar foe, Ledecka, the difference of 0.22s nevertheless bodes well for next season’s competitive showdown between the two.
The top overall rider heading into the weekend though is Julie Zogg (SUI) on 559 points, who is also favourite to claim a sixth slalom overall title – fourth consecutive – come Saturday. The 30-year-old will have quite the challenge on her hands for the ultimate prize, however, with Hofmeister (504 points), Schoeffmann (499 points) and Daniela Ulbing (AUT, 491 points) all in the running.
“I’m a little bit speechless right now,” said Hofmeister. “It feels amazing to have won the globe four times in a row. It means so much to me and I’m really proud and it’s the work of the whole team and I’m really excited for the World Cups in Berchtesgaden.”
“It was a great day,” agreed Schoeffmann. “It was a fast race and without Alex (Payer – her partner) on the start it was really different but he was commentating on TV so I think he also had a good day.”
In a drama-filled men’s PGS, Italy’s Roland Fischnaller, 43, not only bagged the top spot but, more unexpectedly, the season’s small globe by virtue of a series of results that saw him make up a 90-point deficit on the leader, Oskar Kwiatwowski (POL).
In a must-win big final, against compatriot Mirko Felicetti, the veteran bagged 100 points for the win, and jumped two places in the standings to take the 2022/23 overall PGS title at the last gasp. Italy bagged a 1-2-3 courtesy of Edwin Coratti placing third.
Kwiatwowski was unable to claim any points after failing to qualify for the knockout stages today. The other protagonist, Andreas Prommegger, was unable to progress just one stage further in the knockout rounds after being beaten by local rider, Zan Kosir (SLO) in the quarter final, missing out on claiming enough points to take the overall gong. The standings finished with Fischnaller on 344 points, Prommegger on 336, Kwiatkowski on 334 and Felicetti on 253.
The rankings on the men’s overall tour with one individual race to go sees Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) leading the way on 452 points, Alexander Payer (AUT) and Prommegger on 433 points, Kwiatkowski on 398, Fabian Obmann (AUT) on 385 and that man Fischnaller, no doubt hoping for more miracles, on 384.
“It was a very emotional day for me,” said Fischnaller, “because a few days ago I had a new board and I was riding with my son, and he told me you are riding faster than me with this board, you have to use it in Rogla and you will win. And I used it and now I won so everything goes to my son!
“I was also a little bit lucky. Oskar, he didn’t qualify and also Prommegger went out in the first round so I had to win, so there was a little bit of pressure for me, but I take home the globe.”
The final PSL of the 2022/23 tour will be on Saturday 18 March, and the mixed team event on Sunday (19 March).
Standings after 6 of 6 races on the women’s PGS tour
1 Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) 359 points
2 Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT) 261 points
3 Ladina Jenny (SUI) 261 points
4 Aleksandra Krol (POL) 257 points
5 Julie Zogg (SUI) 250 points
Standings after 6 of 6 races on the men’s PGS tour
1 Roland Fischnaller (ITA) 344 points
2 Andreas Prommegger (AUT) 336 points
3 Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) 334 points
4 Mirko Felicetti (ITA) 253 points
5 Benjamin Karl (AUT) 235 points
Standings after 10 of 11 races on the women's overall tour
1 Julie Zogg (SUI) 559 points
2 Ramona Theresia Hofmeister (GER) 504 points
3 Sabine Schoeffmann (AUT) 499 points
4 Daniela Ulbing (AUT) 491 points
Standings after 10 of 11 races on the men's overall tour
1 Maurizio Bormolini (ITA) 452 points
2 Alexander Payer (AUT) 433 points
3 Andreas Prommegger (AUT) 433 points
4 Oskar Kwiatkowski (POL) 398 points
5 Fabian Obmann (AUT) 385 points
6 Roland Fischnaller (ITA) 384 points
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