Castellet and Totsuka claim victories in Calgary halfpipe World Cup
Feb 16, 2019·Snowboard Park & Pipe
The 2018/19 FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup tour was back in action on Friday night in Calgary (CAN), with Queralt Castellet (SPA) and Yuto Totsuka (JPN) taking big victories in an exciting competition staged under the lights at Canada Olympic Park.
For the first time in almost eight years, the FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup came with a visit to Calgary and the season’s third World Cup competition delivered another superb show with some of the finest riders in business giving an enthusiastic crowd plenty of reasons to cheer on.
In the ladies’ competition it was the Spanish veteran Queralt Castellet, who impressed the judges with her first run and with 90.20 points she took the lead early on. Castellet’s amplitude and style were outstanding on Friday evening and while no other rider could beat the 90-point mark, it was the 29-year-old snowboarder from Sabadell who won the contest at the end of the day.
With the first place finish in Calgary, Castellet grabbed her career’s fourth World Cup victory and also her second podium in 2018/19.
“I feel amazing energy when I come to Calgary”, said excited Castellet after the awards ceremony, “The last time I came here was for the Canadian Open back in 2012. I won that competition so standing again on top of the podium here is a very special thing.”
“Because of low temperatures the snow was quite grippy today and the trick was to land high in the pipe in order to keep the speed. My coach also did an amazing job and my board was running very fast. I’m grateful for having a great team to support me and I’m happy that we’ve managed to get a good result in Canada.”
Second place on the day went to Cai Xuetong (CHN) for her third World Cup top-3 spot this season, while 19-year-old Sena Tomita (JPN) rounded out the ladies podium in third.
In the halfpipe World Cup standing it’s Cai Xuetong (CHN) who sits in first with 2900 points, followed by Friday’s winner Queralt Castellet in second with 2120 points, and Chloe Kim in third with 2000 points.
Over on the men’s side Yuto Totsuka (JPN) went for his first World Cup victory since 2017, taking the top spot in Calgary with 89.00 points for his first run. Totsuka showcased very solid riding on Friday, sending big airs down the Canada’s prime superpipe with his flawless style. And despite all efforts from the rest of the field, Totsuka’s score was just enough to get the Japanese rider another piece of silverware to his already impressive collection of wins and podiums in 2018/2019.
“I’m just so happy right now,” said Totsuka, “The pipe in Calgary is very good and it was really fun to ride it. Finishing on top of the podium and taking the World Cup leader bib feels amazing and I just hope I can keep it until the end of the season.”
Finishing just behind Totsuka in second was his teammate Ruka Hirano, as the 2019 halfpipe Junior World Champion from Leysin snagged his second World Cup podium this season.
Third place on the day went to fan-favourite Derek Livingston (CAN), who stepped it up on his home soil and grabbed his very first World Cup podium.
In the halfpipe ranking Yuto Totsuka took over the yellow bib and leads the field with 2760 points. Ruka Hirano jumped into the second position with 2210 points, while Scotty James (AUS) sits in third with 2000 points.
The fourth and final competition of the 2018/19 FIS Snowboard halfpipe World Cup season are scheduled to take place at Mammoth Mountain Resort (USA), February 6-9.
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