Snowboard Big Air World Cup In Beijing Almost Like An Olympic Preview
Miyabi Onitsuka Moves From Last To First
As if showing no mercy to her competition, Miyabi Onitsuka moved out of her eighth-place qualifying position right to the top of the podium this past weekend in Beijing. She went big on her first run with a backside double 1080, following that with a frontside double cork 1080 mute for her second run, a trick that she had only performed successfully one other time. Those two runs would pay off, giving her a leading score of 165.00, which would not be matched by her competition. This made the young Japanese rider's final run a victory lap.
In second place was the ever-popular Anna Gasser of Austria. This young woman could be called the favorite is many of the competitions that she rides in, and has the moves to show for it. At this event, she would finish with a score of 158.00 after throwing down a back double cork 1080 melon and a cab double cork 900 mute two-jump combo.
Third place belonged to Canadian rider Laurie Blouin with a score of 155.75. This came from a cab double 900 mute and her own version of the frontside double cork 1080 mute. She would also not be the last Canadian to make a podium for this event, as one of her teammates took the top spot for the Men's competition.
Max Parrot Returns To The Last Venue He Visited Before His Medical Leave
On the site that was his last World Cup competition before having to take time off due to a cancer diagnosis, Max Parrot qualified in sixth-place, but that is not where he would end up at the end of the day. The young Canadian rider would push through right to the top of the podium making for his second win in two events since his return, having won at the X Games Norway Big Air this past August.
“I got Norway under my belt, and that kind of confirmed that I was back, but everything is kind of different now,” Parrot said under the lights of the finish area, “I really live more day-by-day now, and I feel like much more of a warrior than I did before. And now I’ve made it two out of two since I’ve come back, so I’m pretty stoked on that (laughing). Let’s keep it going! The jump was really amazing and I’m really stoked to be able to put down the front triple 1620 in competition. I think I’m maybe the first one who’s ever done that. I’m stoked to progress the sport again and I’m going to try to keep on doing that.”
After two runs, the first being a cab triple 1620 indy that was near perfect, and the second, also near perfect, frontside triple cork 1620 that currently only he can perform, Parrot pulled down a score of 186.00, which would not be matched for the rest of the night.
Though very close with a score of 185.00, Sweden's Sven Thorgren would only be able to come up with a second-place finish, though he did put up a hell of a fight for it. His top scoring tricks were a backside 1620 stalefish and a frontside triple cork 1440 mute, which he pushed to a 1620 on his final run. However, it was just short of the first place spot on the podium.
Rounding out the podium was American snowboarding superstar Chris Corning. Though taking third place in this competition, he did pull off something that no one else had before. Corning became the first rider to land a quad cork on a city jump, landing a near-perfect quad 1800 melon on his second run. This would be the highest-scoring jump of the night, giving Corning a score of 97.75. His final jump, a frontside 1440 melon, would only bring his final score to 181.25, however. Not to fret, though. This podium finish puts Corning 700 points ahead of the next athlete, Candian Rider Nicolas Laframboise, in the Big Air standings.
Thumbnail Credit: Beijing 2022/FB
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