Gremaud and Ruud rise to the occasion for Bakuriani slopestyle golds
Feb 28, 2023·Freeski Park & Pipe
Slopestyle action at the Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships closed out on Tuesday with heavy-hitting competitions on both the women’s and men’s sides of things, where Mathilde Gremaud (SUI) became the first in freeski history to simultaneously hold the World and Olympic champion titles with a gold medal performance on the women’s side of things, and Birk Ruud (NOR) came through with some final run heroics to earn his first career World Championships gold for the men.
While some wild weather had hindered training sessions throughout the days leading up to slopestyle finals here Georgia, for Tuesday’s freeski main event conditions were near-perfect, with warm temps, low winds and an exceptional Schneestern-constructed slopestyle venue providing a fitting field for the world’s best to throw down.
GREMAUD ADDS WORLD CHAMPS GOLD TO STACKED TROPHY CASE
While she came into Bakuriani 2023 carrying the mantel of Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games gold medallist, Mathilde Gremaud had yet to hit the top of the podium in slopestyle competition this far into the 2022/23 World Cup season, as Norway’s Johanne Killi has swept top spot in every event up to this point.
However, here in Bakuriani Gremaud was on a mission from start to finish of proceedings, locking down the top score in qualifications on Monday before dropping in with heater of a first run in finals on Tuesday.
Leading things off in her first run with a right 270 on to continuing 270 off and then a switch right 270 on to continuing 270 off on the first two rails, Gremaud then rolled into the jumps sections with a left double cork 1080 safety, into a right bio 900 safety and then finally a styled out switch 720 mute.
Into the canon rail Gremaud then went with a switch left slide into forward 450 mute off, and then into the tricky final feature did a 50-50 on the big blue tube, before finishing things off with a left 270 lipslide to continuing 270 off on the down rail, stomping clean and riding out to score of 87.95 and the lead after run one.
With top challengers like Killi, Tess Ledeux (FRA) and Sarah Hoefflin (SUI) failing to put down clean second runs, it was only double X Games 2023 champion Megan Oldham of Canada who challenged Gremaud for the title. While Oldham would give Gremaud a scare, ultimately the Canadian would fall just .20 points short and Gremaud would enjoy a victory lap through the Bakuriani 2023 slopestyle course with a Swiss flag in hand.
“It was missing for me, this World Championships title,” Gremaud said after cruising into the finish area on her victory lap, “It’s so crazy, not just with the conditions we had here, but especially with the year I’ve had from last year at the Olympics to now. It was kind crazy and a big emotional rollercoaster, so this feels really, really good.
“We had a tough week here with conditions. I don’t even know if I would have been skiing if it wasn’t World Champs. It was kind of on and off and ups and downs and I just tried to stop everything and save my energy (for competition runs), and in the end I think it paid off.”
With her super smooth second run Canadian Oldham was able to bump herself up from bronze to silver medal position, lacing a switch left double cork 900 Japan to left double 1080 mute combo through the final two jumps and skiing out to a score of 87.75 and the second World Championships medal of her career after she earned slopestyle bronze two years ago in Aspen.
Third place would go to Killi after she crashed trying to up the ante in her second run. While Killi absolutely crushed the top rail section with a right slide switch-up continuing 270 off to switch left 270 on to continuing 270 off on the first two rail features, some less-difficult tricks through the jumps meant that she’d have to settle for a score of 84.71 and the bronze medal.
Killi’s bronze would not be the only hardware the Norwegian team would be walking away with on Tuesday, however, as the Freeski Landslaget would take the top two positions on the Bakuriani 2023 men’s competition as well, with current slopestyle World Cup leader Birk Ruud leading the way in a storming final-run performance.
RUUD STOMPS DRAMATIC FINAL RUN FOR GOLD
While there was a stacked final 16 on hand for finals in the men’s competition, Ruud rolled into Bakuriani as the odds-on favourite with wins in four of five World Cup competitions entered in 2022/23, and a third in the other.
However, come time for his final run Ruud found himself on the outside looking in on the podium picture. And, as the top qualifier, all eyes and all the pressure was on the 22-year-old as he dropped in on the final run to hit the Bakuriani 2023 slopestyle course at these World Championships.
Leading things off with a switch left 270 on to pretzel 450 off on the first rail and then a 450 on to continuing 450 off on the second, Ruud proceeded to go switch left double cork 1620 mute on the first jump, into a right double cork 1440 lead tail on the second jump, and then a massive, trademark left double bio 1800 mute on the money booter.
Into the launch rail Ruud put down a buttery smooth left slide to left corked 810 blunt off, and then a switch left 270 on to forward on the big blue tube, before finishing it all off with a left 450 lipslide popped out to switch on the final down rail.
Add it all up and you’ve got a score of 90.75 and the first World Championships gold medal for the man widely considered to be the most talented all-rounder in freeskiing.
“Today’s been tough, I gotta say,” Ruud said after stomping his critical final run, “I woke up with a fever and to be honest I skipped half the practice this morning to try to save my energy. But luckily I’ve done that before, and I’m glad it worked out. And also I’m really happy for my boy Nummi (Christian Nummedal) getting back on the podium and Johanne (Killi) as well. Norway, three medals. That’s great.
“Honestly I would have liked for Nummi to win the world champs, but I had to think about putting down the best that I could do, and I managed to do that. So I’m just very grateful and thankful. It’s nice to have a world champs title so I can say I’m the world’s best…or at least I was today!”
As mentioned by Ruud, it was his Norwegian teammate Christian Nummedal who held the lead up until Ruud’s final run, as the 27-year-old put down one of the finest runs of his life to land in Bakuriani 2023 silver medal position. With outrageous amplitude and stomped landings throughout his second run earning him the highest overall judging scores of the afternoon, Nummedal would walk away with a score of 87.08 and the first World Championships medal of an international competition career that began in 2010/11.
Third place for the men would go to Aspen 2021 slopestyle World Champion Andri Ragettli, who looked in his first run to be well on his way to becoming the first freeskier to defend a slopestyle world champs gold medal.
While Ragettli upped the ante on his second run with a switch left double bio 1260 double mute into a left double 1620 tail grab through the first two jumps, an uncharacteristic crash on jump three meant that Ragettli would be forced to settle for a first run score of 82.80 and the bronze medal.
Freeski competition at Bakuriani 2023 continues on Wednesday with halfpipe qualifications, which have been moved up a day in the schedule in an attempt to avoid some ugly weather slated to come in on Thursday. Women’s Bakuriani halfpipe Q’s are slated to begin at 14:15 local time, followed by the men at 13:15.
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