Lambert secures first World Cup victory to strengthen SBX lead

New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Adam Lambert has secured the first World Cup victory of his career, extending his lead in the FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup standings on the second day of competition in Dongbeiya, China.

The result gives him back-to-back podium finishes in China and marks his third straight podium to open the season, an encouraging sign with the Olympic Winter Games in Italy now only weeks away.

Competing in the prestigious yellow leader’s bib for the first time in his career, Lambert delivered a strong performance in qualifying, securing sixth place to advance comfortably into finals.

In finals, Lambert opened strongly, winning his round-of-32 heat, placing second in the quarterfinals, and then taking first place in the semifinal to move through to the big-final medal round.

In the big final, Lambert made an excellent start, exiting the first turn in second place behind Italy’s Lorenzo Sommarvia. He remained close behind the Italian for much of the race before using his drafting skills to move into the lead. He held that position to the finish in a tightly contested run, crossing the finish line in first just ahead of Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle in second and the USA’s Nathan Pare in third, with Sommarvia fourth.

The gold-medal performance comes in Lambert’s 75th career World Cup start across individual and team events. Before today, he had recorded eight career podium finishes but had not yet stood on the top step.

In the women’s event, NSWIS athlete Mia Clift delivered her strongest performance of the season so far, narrowly missing the podium and finishing fourth in the big final. The French team secured the top two positions, with Julia Nirani-Pereira taking the win and Chloe Trespeuch second, while Charlotte Bankes of Great Britain was third.

NSWIS athlete Josie Baff also rode well, progressing to the semifinals before a third-place finish moved her into the small final to contest positions five through eight. She went on to win the small final, securing fifth place overall.

“I came in today and yesterday with a pretty solid plan, and that was to not lead at the beginning, but finish first at the bottom, and I managed to execute that to perfection. I can’t believe it, I am so stocked,” said 28-year-old Lambert from Jindabyne in the NSW Snow Mountains.

When asked how important this victory is on the way to the Olympics and keep the momentum going:

“Of course it does, but it’s just important for me personally as an athlete who had been competing for so long, and this is my very first win and I am just so excited that it’s finally happened.”

Other Australian performances included NSWIS’s Cam Bolton, who advanced to the quarterfinals and finished 16th, and James Johnstone, who placed 24th after reaching the round of 32. NSWIS athletes Abbey Wilson (31st), Jarryd Hughes (36th), and Declan Dent (51st) did not progress to finals.

Lambert’s victory elevates him to 220 points at the top of the World Cup standings, 59 points clear of Canada’s Eliot Grondin in second on 161. In the women’s standings, Baff sits in second place on 185 points, just four behind leader Charlotte Bankes on 189, while Clift also holds a top-10 position in eighth with 106 points.

The Australian Snowboard Cross Team will now head to Europe for a few more weeks of training ahead of the Olympic Winter Games in Italy next month.

Story courtesy of OWIA