Gasser and Thorgren claim Air + Style big air wins in Beijing
Nov 24, 2018·Snowboard Park & Pipe
Beijing (CHN) - The 2018 Air + Style Beijing big air World Cup went down on Saturday night at the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium with a heavy showing from the six ladies and 11 men in the finals. At the end of the day, Anna Gasser (AUT) would take her second consecutive Air + Style Beijing title for the ladies, while Sven Thorgren (SWE) came back from injury in impressive fashion with a final-hit win for the men.
With Air + Style owner Shaun White in attendance the ladies’ set the tone for the evening from the first run, with four of the six competitors stomping double corks and all six ladies landing their first jumps. Tops amongst them was Gasser, whose first hit backside double cork 1080 earned her a score of 94.00 - the highest scored jump of any on the night.
Gasser would go on to land her signature double underflip on her second hit, essentially putting her in the clear for victory heading into the final jump. When top-qualifier Reira Iwabuchi (JPN) washed out on her last hit the win went to the boundry-pushing Austrian, with a two-jump score of 182.25.
“It’s amazing. I’m so happy that everything worked out. All the girls were riding so good - everybody stomped their first run and I think there were four doubles in the first run - so I’m really happy to win this one.
“Usually I start with my double underflip but tonight I switched it up and went with the back 10 so I would have two tries for the cab double and it worked for me.”
Second place went to Miyabi Onitsuka (JPN) who also stomped a backside double cork 1080 on her first hit, and then followed that up with a cab 900 stalefish for a combined score of 176.00 and her third-straight runner-up result of the season.
“I’m stoked on second place, but more I’m stoked for myself because tonight was the first time I landed my backside double 1080 in competition. I’m so, so happy. And the Air + Style event is such a good event, with so many people and so many good riders.”
Third on the day was Laurie Blouin (CAN), whose cab double underflip and frontside 900 tail grab two-jump combo gave her a score of 156.00 and her first podium of the season.
“The set-up is so good here, and it’s so nice to see all the girls pushing it like they did tonight. The level of riding tonight was crazy. Everyone killed it.”
Despite some struggles on Saturday night, Iwabuchi held on to the yellow big air World Cup leaders bib after three events.
Thorgren storms back onto the competition scene
The men’s competition saw the riders pushing the very limits of the Air + Style jump, trying to milk every last inch out of the landing as they pushed for more amplitude and bigger tricks.
Thorgren came into finals as the top qualifier, which was an impressive feat all on its own in what was his first competition back after a lengthy break due to a serious shoulder injury.
Dropping last in the first run Thorgren once again put down the backside 1440 nose grab that earned him top spot in qualifications for a score of 90.25, though he would find himself sitting in second after Max Parrot (CAN) put down the top-scoring jump of run one.
However, after falling on his second run and watching Takeru Otsuka (JPN) jump into first place with his final hit while Parrot fell on both of his next two runs, it was down to Thorgren with the last run of the evening to step up and make something special happen.
And that he did, putting down a frontside triple cork 1440 mute that was arguably the biggest jump of anyone’s all evening, earning himself the highest score of the men's competition with a 93.75 and a two-jump total of 184.00 for the win.
“It feels unreal. I haven’t landed the triple frontside 1440 ever in a competition, and having it all come down to the last trick…I’m just happy I put it down. And it’s also crazy after what I’ve been through in the last year, three shoulder surgeries...The win is amazing.”
Otsuka - landing a cab triple 1440 mute and a frontside triple 1440 mute - finished in second with a score of 176.25, giving him his third podium in three World Cup competitions this season and putting him in sole possession of the yellow leader’s bib atop the World Cup rankings after his co-leader heading into the event, Chris Corning (USA), struggled on Saturday.
“I was so nervous before I dropped on the last run, but I’m stoked I stomped it. Sven was so sick tonight. I’m happy.”
Third place and his first career World Cup podium went to Clemens Millauer (AUT), who lead the field right up until Otsuka and Thorgren dropped in for their last runs on the strength of his backside triple 1440 mute and super-stylish frontside double corked 1440 tail grab for a score 169.00.
“I said I just wanted to get fourth tonight, because I always get fifth, but for a while there I was sitting in first, so third is pretty good. I was just hoping. I tried the back 1620 with my last hit to try and step it up, but a couple guys fell and I ended up in third so I’m pretty happy about it.”
From here the FIS Snowboard big air World Cup takes a break as we move deeper into the winter season, with the March’s Quebec Snow Jamboree big air World Cup standing as the season finale.
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