China dominates, Perathoner and French Mixed Team shine at the 2025 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships

A demanding 23-bank Banked Slalom course in Big White (CAN) set the stage for the 2025 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships. On Wednesday, March 5, 68 athletes competed in the qualification rounds, vying for a spot in the finals where 15 medals were at stake across five categories the following day.

Under the new competition format introduced this season, riders completed two qualification runs. The top four fastest advanced to head-to-head heats, with the first seed facing the fourth and the second seed going up against the third. The winners moved on to the grand final, while the other two contested the small final for third place.

Banked Slalom Finals : Champions challenge favorites

In the Women’s Upper Limb (UL) category, Monika Kotzian (POL), the fastest qualifier, cruised through the semifinals against Darian Haynes (USA), while Irati Idiakez Lopez (ESP) defeated Anna Drobna (POL). Despite being a second slower than in her semifinal, Kotzian claimed victory, capitalizing on Idiakez Lopez’s fall on her final run. Haynes was disqualified in the small final, securing Drobna her first World Championships medal.

The Women’s Lower Limb (LL) category saw a high-profile quarterfinal matchup between discipline globe winner Cécile Hernandez (FRA) and Brenna Huckaby Clegg (USA), with Hernandez setting the fastest time of the stage. She then faced Lisa Bunschoten (NED), who had eliminated Eri Sakashita (JPN). The Dutch rider gained momentum, securing a spot in the final with a 1.09-second lead over Hernandez, dashing the Frenchwoman’s hopes of adding a Banked Slalom world title to her discipline globe. Meanwhile, Tiantian Li (CHN) remained flawless, winning her quarterfinal, a tight semifinal against compatriot Nianjia Hu by just 0.29 seconds, and ultimately claiming gold over Bunschoten with the fastest time of the day in Women’s LL. Hernandez rebounded in the small final to take bronze.

A similar scenario unfolded in Men’s UL, where Italian medal hopeful Jacopo Luchini was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Lijia Ji (CHN). Six of the eight finalists in the category were Chinese, but Swiss rider Aron Fahrni held his ground, eliminating Yonggang Zhu (CHN) in the quarters and Jian Yang (CHN) in the semifinals. However, Ji continued to improve his times, delivering the fastest run of the day in the final to secure gold. Yang triumphed in the all-Chinese small final to claim bronze.

Chris Vos (NED) found inspiration in his wife, Lisa Bunschoten, and also took silver in the Men’s LL1 category. He overcame Daichi Oguri (JPN) in the quarters and discipline globe winner Noah Elliott (USA) in the semifinals before falling short to Junta Kosuda (JPN) in the final. The small final between Elliott and his American teammate Mike Schultz produced the fastest times of the day, with Elliott securing bronze.

Discipline globe winner Emanuel Perathoner (ITA) dominated Men’s LL2 from start to finish. He dispatched Takahito Ichikawa (JPN) in the quarters, Zach Miller (USA) in the semis, and Qi Sun (CHN) in the final, each time with several seconds to spare—making him the fastest rider across all categories. The closest battle came in the quarterfinals between Miller and Ben Tudhope (AUS), where Tudhope missed out on a medal by just 0.10 seconds. Despite losing to Perathoner, Miller surged in the small final to claim bronze.

Snowboard Cross: Redemption, Chinese sweep, and a French triumph

Irati Idiakez Lopez rebounded from her Banked Slalom final fall to secure gold in Women’s UL Snowboard Cross, edging out Monika Kotzian and Anna Drobna, who took silver and bronze, respectively.

The Women’s LL category saw fierce battles, with Brenna Huckaby Clegg (USA) and Kate Delson (USA) advancing to the final alongside Cécile Hernandez (FRA) and Nianjia Hu (CHN). Hernandez took an early lead, with Clegg in pursuit, but Hu lost balance and collided with Clegg, slowing her down and allowing Hernandez and Delson to pull ahead. The French rider held her composure to secure gold, followed by Delson and Clegg.

China continued to dominate Men’s UL, with five athletes in the semifinals. Lijia Ji, already crowned Banked Slalom champion, completed a golden double by winning ahead of teammates Pengyao Wang (silver) and Yonggang Zhu (bronze). Maxime Montaggioni (FRA) was the only non-Chinese athlete in the final but finished off the podium.

Men’s LL1 featured a confident Tyler Turner (CAN), fresh off his second consecutive discipline globe win. He stormed through the semifinals and held off overall globe winner Noah Elliott (USA) in the final, with Daichi Oguri (JPN) taking bronze.

“It’s pretty freaking cool being in Canada for the World Championships,” Turner said. “It’s a lot of stress with my family here, but winning on home soil is incredible!"

In Men’s LL2, the four quarterfinal winners advanced to the final, where defending Champion Ben Tudhope got his revenge on Zach Miller, who had eliminated him in Banked Slalom. The Australian finished second behind Miller in the semifinals but outperformed him in the final to take bronze. Emanuel Perathoner, meanwhile, was unstoppable, winning every heat to secure his second World Championship title in Big White.

“It feels amazing!” Perathoner exclaimed. “Two years ago, I made a mistake in Snowboard Cross, so I wanted this gold medal so badly. Finally, I got it, and I’m super happy! In the final run, I was thinking about my Chinese opponent because he was way faster at the start. I tried to get ahead, but he dropped first again and was first on bank one, so I had to fight for it. I knew I was faster in the lower section, so I stayed relaxed.”

Mixed Team Event: France fends off Chinese pressure

The World Championships concluded with the Snowboard Cross Mixed Team event, featuring ten teams of one female and one male rider. China and the USA each fielded two teams, all of which advanced to the finals. The first semifinal saw Kate Delson and Noah Elliott (USA) win ahead of Tiantian Li and Lijia Ji (CHN), while Cécile Hernandez with Maxime Montaggioni (FRA) and Xinyu Wang with Qi Sun (CHN) were the fastest duos in the second. In the final, France held strong under Chinese pressure, with Hernandez and Montaggioni clinching gold. Sun claimed another silver alongside Wang, while Li and Ji secured bronze.

China dominated the 2025 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships, finishing with 10 medals and three world titles. Team USA, the 2024/25 Nations Cup winner, claimed five medals but no golds. Thanks to Monika Kotzian and Anna Drobna, Poland ranked third with four medals, including one world title.