Junior World Champs big air gold for freeskiers Tabanelli and Landroe
Sep 04, 2023·Freeski Park & Pipe
The final event of the Cardrona 2023 FIS Park & Pipe Junior World Championships took to the big air venue on Monday, where near-perfect conditions and one of the best big air jumps in the world allowed the best young freeskiers in the world to put on a explosive showcase, with Italy’s Flora Tabanelli and Leo Landroe of Norway leading the way with gold medal wins.
The Cardrona 2023 slopestyle silver medallist from last week, 15-year-old Tabanelli stepped things up a notch for the big air competition, leading qualifications before locking things down in finals, stomping a switch left bio 900 mute and a left double cork 1080 safety for a two-jump score of 177.50 - becoming Italy’s first snowboard Park & Pipe Junior World Champion in the process.
Behind Tabanelli on the junior women’s side were a pair of Chinese skiers, with Han Linshan and Yang Ruyi claiming the silver and bronze medals, respective.
For Han it was a two jump combo of a left double cork 1080 mute and a switch left 900 mute that would give her a combined score of 168.75 for the silver medal, while her compatriot Yang earned bronze with a score of 160.00 for a switch left 1080 mute and a left corked 900 tail.
Over on the men’s side it was Leo Landroe absolutely blowing the roof off the competition in Cardrona, as the 18-year-old Norwegian was the only rider to clock a score above 90.00 points - which he managed to do with BOTH of his first two runs.
Run one saw Landroe earn a score of 93.25 with a near-perfect switch left triple cork 1620 mute. In run two he took things up a notch, stomping a massive left triple cork 1800 mute for a score of 96.50. Add it all together and you’ve got a score of 189.75 and a dominant Junior World Championships gold medal win.
Second place and the silver medal went to Canada’s Matthew Lepine, as the 15-year-old put down a right double 1620 mute and a crazy stylish switch right double misty 1080 Japan, earning a two-jump score of 176.75 for the podium.
Rounding out the podium for his second medal of the Cardrona 2023 JWCs was Switzerland’s Fadri Rhyner, who added a big air bronze to his slopestyle silver after stomping a switch left double bio 1260 lead tail and a left double 1620 Japan for a score of 163.00.
Make sure to check watch.fis-ski.com/home later on for full podium highlight videos!
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Photos (courtesy Winter Games NZ)
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