Tudhope and Reid Claim Para Snowboard Cross World Championships

Ben Tudhope’s dominant Para snowboard  cross season has culminated in the best possible way with the triple Paralympian crowned world champion overnight, while Amanda Reid’s transition to winter sport has borne instant fruit with a world championship victory.

Tudhope, who is an NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder, went into the event with five wins and a third-place finish from six snowboard cross World Cup races this season that saw him claim the crystal globe.

Having won silver at the last two world championships, the 23-year-old finally has the gold medal he’s been chasing after beating home Italy’s Emanuel Perathoner and USA’s Zach Miller. 

“I cannot believe this – this is absolutely insane,” said Tudhope. “I was sitting in second behind Perathoner and then he had a little bobble and went down, but to be honest, these conditions here are exactly like home.”

Tudhope went on to dedicate the win to a former teammate and coach, inspired by a vision over the mountain before his final. 

“Nine years go my teammate died here, Matty Robinson,” said Tudhope. “I saw two birds flying over today – one’s for him and one’s for my late coach Mikko Wendelin. He passed away in 2019 and I couldn’t have done it without them. 

“I’d just like to thank all of my supporters and my team up here as well because I truly could not do it without them too.” 

For Paralympic swimmer and cyclist Amanda Reid, her cross to winter sports couldn’t be going better with her snowboard cross world championship victory.

A seven time world champion on the track, the Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist went to La Molina for the experience and ended up taking advantage of the front-runners going down in the late stages of the race to take the gold ahead of Brenna Huckaby Clegg (USA) and Cecile Hernandez (FRA). 

“It was really good. I came in just to have fun and enjoy my first world championships” said the NSWIS scholarship holder.  “I didn’t expect to walk away with that result at all, so I’m pretty excited.”

 Article and image courtesy of Snow Australia