Bankes extends lead; Chollet takes first World Cup win in fabulous night for France
Feb 15, 2025·Snowboard Cross)
There were surprises and drama under the night sky in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday, with French riders taking three podium spots and young riders shining in the men’s big final.
After the favourites crashed out, Aidan Chollet (FRA) claimed his first-ever FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup win, ahead of Kurt Hoshino (GER) and Cody Winters (USA), both standing on the podium for the first time.
On the women’s side, Charlotte Bankes (GBR) made it three wins from three races, but Lea Casta (FRA) remains very much in contention with her third podium place this season.
Chollet celebrates "crazy" win
Coming into the Cortina World Cup, last year’s winner Eliot Grondin (CAN) looked like the clear favourite after back-to-back wins in Beidahu. And Grondin showed his quality in qualification and the first two rounds, winning fairly comfortably.
But disaster struck for Grondin in the semifinal as he clashed with Chollet and careered off the course into the safety barriers on the second big turn of the course. Leon Ulbricht (GER) also crashed in the same point in his semifinal, after qualifying second-fastest behind Grondin.
Earlier on the other top qualifiers and World Cup contenders also failed to progress. Jakob Dusek (AUT), second in the overall standings behind Grondin before this weekend, had a poor start in his first race and was not able to claw back the distance. Lorenzo Sommariva (ITA), who came into Cortina third behind Grondin and Dusek, also missed out in the first round.
That paved the way for Chollet, Hoshino, Winters and Radek Houser (CZE), who all made it safely through each round to the big final. Hoshino won a photofinish against Julian Lueftner (AUT) to reach the semifinal, and then survived a collision with Liam Moffatt (CAN) to book his spot in the big final, where he edged out Winters in another photofinish for second place. It is the 23-year-old’s best result by far in only his sixth World Cup race.
Winters’ third place is his first Snowboard Cross podium finish, although he also took third at the FIS Parallel Slalom World Cup in Bad Gastein just a month ago. He is the only athlete on the World Cup tour competing in two different disciplines.
But it was Chollet who shone in the big final, crossing the line first and being swept up in celebrations by his team on the sideline. The 20-year-old’s previous best performance at a World Cup was fourth in Sierra Nevada last season, and immediately afterwards all he could say was “it’s crazy”.
Later, Chollet added: “It means a lot of things for me. It’s a lot of hard work that I’ve done which is paying off. I hope it won’t be the last and that this can continue."
Grondin recovered from his semifinal crash to win the small final and finish fifth overall, ahead of Cameron Bolton (AUS) and Ulbricht. He remains the overall World Cup leader, with Chollet moving into second place ahead of Dusek. Reigning Olympic champion Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT) is now fourth with Bolton fifth.
Men's highlights
French riders hot on Bankes’ heels
While Charlotte Bankes took her third win of the World Cup tour, she did not have the racing all her own way.
Bankes found herself up against Manon Petit Lenoir (FRA) in all three of her races. The World Cup leader came through Pia Zerkhold (AUT) in the quarterfinal but could not catch Petit Lenoir. In the semifinal, Bankes did have the speed and skill she needed for the win.
Meanwhile Lea Casta (FRA) looked good in both her first two races, winning the quarterfinal and finishing second to compatriot Julia Pereira de Sousa in the semifinal. The two French riders went clear of Michela Moioli (ITA), who had to settle for the small final.
In the final Casta, once again, led out the race, chased by her teammates. Bankes never let them get clear, although she was third to both timing marks. Her experience showed in the last section of the race, where she shot past Petit Lenoir and then Casta to cross the line in front once again.
“It was a battle out there today, it was super-tight racing, and we work hard to be able to put on performances like that. I’m really happy to be able to pull it off tonight,” Bankes said.
She said while her sights remained on the Crystal Globe, she was conscious there was a lot of racing still to go.
Casta took second, with Petit Lenoir earning her first podium of the season – and her first in almost two years – in third place.
“It’s so nice, I’m really really happy after a tough season last year, I’m finally back on the podium. We have a big team and this is so nice, it pushes me every day to be stronger, so happy for the French team,” Petit Lenoir said.
Pereira de Sousa, who earned two podium finishes in both the 2017/18 and 2020/21 seasons, but has not reached a big final since 2021, was fourth.
In the small final, Josie Baff (AUS) recovered from a fall in the semifinal to take fifth place overall, with Noemie Wiedmer (SUI) sixth, Moioli seventh and Mia Clift (AUS) eighth.
Bankes remains the overall leader, extending her lead over Casta to 65 points. Baff remains third, Moioli fourth and Petit Lenoir has moved up into fifth.
The next stop on the World Cup tour is in Erzerum, Türkiye, from 28 February to 2 March, including the first team event of the season.
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