Young snowboarders shine at the FIS Snowboard Alpine Junior World Championships 2025 in Zakopane/Suche
Mar 18, 2025·Snowboard Alpine)
This past weekend marked the successful conclusion of the VISA FIS Snowboard Alpine World Cup with the final two races in Winterberg (GER), setting the stage for the season’s highlight - the Engadin 2025 FIS Snowboard, Freestyle and Freeski World Championships in Switzerland.
Before the Snowboard Alpine World Cup tour wrapped up, young talents battled for glory at the FIS Snowboard Alpine Junior World Championships in Zakopane (POL), held from March 4th to 6th. More than 100 of the world's most promising racers from 16 nations gathered at the Suche resort for three days of intense competition, featuring Parallel Giant Slalom (PGS), Parallel Slalom (PSL), and the Mixed Team Event.
The championships opened with the PGS event, where young snowboarders, many already making their mark in World Cup finals, put on an impressive display. In the women’s category, Canada’s Aurelie Moisan secured her second consecutive junior gold medal. Bulgaria’s Malena Zamfirova, fresh off her first World Cup podium just two days prior, claimed silver. The small final saw Germany’s Yuna Taniguchi take bronze after outpacing Switzerland’s Xenia von Siebenthal.
On the men's side, Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov clinched his second career gold at the Junior World Championships in PGS. Italy’s Tommy Rabanser finished runner-up, while Czech rider Krystof Minarik edged out Italy’s Mike Santuari for the bronze medal.
The excitement continued with Wednesday’s Parallel Slalom event, where Xenia von Siebenthal (SUI) delivered a stellar performance, defeating Malena Zamfirova (BUL) in the big final. This marked Siebenthal’s second PSL gold at the Junior World Championships, following her triumph in Bansko 2023. In the battle for bronze, Aurelia Buccioni (GER) overcame Eleonora Pavliuk from Ukraine.
The men’s PSL podium mirrored the previous day’s PGS results, with another outstanding showdown between Zamfirov and Rabanser. In the end, Zamfirov captured another gold, while Mike Santuari (ITA) secured bronze after finishing just outside the podium in Parallel Giant Slalom race.
The final day of the championships was dedicated to the Mixed Team Parallel event, where male and female athletes from the same nation joined forces to compete. The gold medal went to Bulgaria 1, represented by the sibling duo Tervel Zamfirov and Malena Zamfirova. Czechia 1 (Krystof Minarik and Adela Keclikova) secured silver, while Switzerland 1 (Xenia von Siebenthal and Nuri Mosca) rounded out the podium with bronze.
FIS Race Director and Snowboard Coordinator Peter Krogoll praised the impressive performances, highlighting the fierce competition and dedication of the junior athletes.
Jan Winkel from the Local Organizing Committee emphasized the efforts of the Polish Ski Association and FIS in promoting snowboarding at all levels in Poland.
Pawel Dawidek, Chief of Competition and a Polish snowboarding coach from Zakopane, expressed his satisfaction with how the championships unfolded.
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