Halfpipe Crystal Globe for Mastro and Hirano as Tomita wins maiden World Cup

Japan’s Ruka Hirano dominated the last halfpipe contest of the 2024/25 FIS Snowboard World Cup season in Calgary to claim the men’s Crystal Globe, while the USA’s Maddie Mastro took the women’s Globe after finishing second to Japanese rider Sena Tomita.

Twenty-five-year-old Tomita was the first to taste victory on Saturday at the Snow Rodeo FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup at Calgary Olympic Park. After Mastro posted a third run score of 85.25, Tomita responded with 90.75 to overtake the U.S. rider and take the win.

Tomita’s final run began with a frontside 1080 tailgrab, then a cab 720 Indy, a frontside 540 stalefish, a backside 540 Weddle, and finished with a frontside 900 melon.

Third place went to Canada’s Elizabeth Hosking on 79.25, which marks the 23-year-old's third World Cup career podium. Cai Xuetong (CHN) finished fourth on 75.25 points.

Tomita’s win on Saturday is her only top-three result this season and marks her first World Cup victory out of 10 top three-finishes since 2016.

“It’s so amazing tonight for me. I’m so proud of all the guys,” said Tomita.

Prior to Calgary, the 25-year-old did not qualify for the final at the most recent halfpipe World Cup in Aspen, and until Saturday her best result this season was sixth place at the Laax Open (SUI) in January.

Meanwhile, Mastro’s second place on Saturday gave her an accumulated FIS tally of 310 points to win the women’s halfpipe Crystal Globe. Her closest rival in the halfpipe World Cup standings, fellow U.S. rider Chloe Kim, ended the season with 250 points.

For 25-year-old Mastro, who claimed her maiden World Cup win at the halfpipe season-opener in Secret Garden (CHN) in December, consistency was key to her performances this season.

“I put a lot of hard work in and it’s the support around me that helped get me to where I am.”

In the men’s competition, 22-year-old Hirano saved the best for last to claim victory with a third run high score of 93.00.

As the second-to-last rider to drop into the pipe, Hirano was going to need something huge to overtake his friend and teammate Yuto Totsuka’s score of 89.75 – and with the Crystal Globe on the line, Hirano delivered. 

With a switch backside double cork 1080 Japan to start, into a backside 900 Weddle, then a frontside double cork 1440 indy, a cab double cork 1080 truck driver, and finally a backside alley oop 540 to finish off, Hirano posted a score of 93.00 for the victory.

Sixteen-year-old Alessandro Barbieri finished third behind Totsuka on 83.25 to claim his first World Cup career podium.

Eighteen-year-old Campbell Melville Ives (NZL) narrowly missed out on the podium with a third run score of 83.00.

Saturday’s victory marked Hirano’s fourth podium of the season and was his second consecutive World Cup win after winning in Aspen earlier in February. Hirano ended the season with a FIS points tally of 340, compared to Totsuka’s 310 points.

With tonight’s win in Calgary, 22-year-old Hirano joins compatriots Yuto Totsuka and Ryo Aono and Australia’s Scotty James as the only riders to win the halfpipe Crystal Globe three times. Hirano is now the only man in FIS World Cup history to win three consecutive halfpipe Crystal Globes.

James did not compete in Calgary but ended his World Cup season ranked fourth in the halfpipe standings behind Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, who was also absent from Calgary. James and Ayumu each have one World Cup victory and one second place finish from their four starts this season, with Ayumu also claiming third place in Laax in January.

On top of his victory in Calgary on Saturday, Ruka was also part of two Japanese halfpipe podium sweeps this season – finishing third in one sweep in Copper (USA) in December, and leading another in Aspen in January.