Gold, Silver and Bronze for Tudhope, Bolton and Baff

Australian snowboard cross riders and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athlete Ben Tudhope, Cam Bolton and Josie Baff have finished the season strongly at their respective World Cup events with Tudhope winning gold, Bolton claiming two silver medals and Baff a bronze.

Bolton finished the season in a career best ranking of third on the World Cup standings, and in the women’s standings Baff just missed her career best ranking finishing in fourth place with team mate Belle Brockhoff sixth.

In finals, Bolton won each round to advance to the big-final, where he would face off against world number one Eliot Grondin of Canada who had already secured the World Cup Crystal Globe. In the big-final Grondin led from start to finish to take the gold, with Bolton making two impressive passing moves down the course to claim the silver in a photo finish where he edged out German Leon Ulbricht in third.

For Bolton, the silver medal was his fourth podium of the winter and ended his season in career best form

“First time for sure in the top-3 (on the standings), and these things are pretty hard to win, so very happy to come away with it” said the 33-year-old Bolton from the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

“Always tricky to back up the second race in a double event, but the sun has come out and the course is maintained so well and an absolute pleasure to race today and was able to come up and put in a pretty good performance and happy with my result and of course the overall.”

Cameron Bolton

In the women’s event, Baff and Brockhoff both made it through to the semi-final stage, with Baff winning her semi-final to advance to the big-final, with Brockhoff crossing the line in third place placing in the small-final to decide places five to eight, where she finished in seventh.

The women’s big-final featured the top four in the world, and it did not disappoint with tight racing to the finish line, with Charlotte Bankes of Great Brittain taking the victory ahead of Italian Michela Moioli in second and Baff with the bronze after just finishing ahead of Chloe Trespeuch of France.

Baff now has nine World Cup career podiums, with five coming this season.

“It was super-fun, I really wanted to do one better after yesterday (fourth place), and I managed to do that, I would have loved something more, but I am very satisfied with the third” said the 21-year-old from Jindabyne in the NSW Snowy Mountains.

“It was super tight racing with all of the girls, and I think we all showed our best riding and wanted to give it our best for the last two races of the season.”

Trespeuch of France finished first on the women’s World Cup standings on 792 points, followed by Bankes on 757, Moioli 704 and Baff 608.

19-year-old Mia Clift from Melbourne was awarded the FIS Snowboard Cross female rookie of the year, after a promising first World Cup season, which included a personal best finish of eighth on day one in Mont Saint Anne, and a final ranking of 19^th on the standings.

Canadian Eliot Grondin ended well ahead in the men’s standings to finish on 952 points, with Alessandro Haemmerle second on 604, and Bolton third with 552.

Article courtesy of OWIA

Image courtesy of Miha Matavz