In a breathtaking display of skill and style, China's Yang Wenlong 🏂 soared to his first-ever Snowboard Big Air World Cup victory in Kreischberg, Austria, on Saturday!
The 25-year-old phenom started strong with a front double cork 1800 weddle to tailgrab in his first run, scoring an impressive 86.00 points. But the competition was fierce, and reigning champion Taiga Hasegawa of Japan 🇯🇵 was leading the pack.
With everything riding on his final attempt, Yang pulled off a mind-blowing backside 1980 Japan, earning a whopping 96.50 points! 🎉 This epic move catapulted him ahead of Hasegawa by just 2.25 points, securing the win and marking his second time on the World Cup podium after a third-place finish in Beijing. 🥇
\"It's unbelievable! I just went for it,\" Yang said, beaming with pride. \"Competing against such amazing riders pushes me to new heights.\"
Hasegawa took home second place with a total of 180.25 points, while fellow Japanese rider Kira Kimura, last season's big air Crystal Globe winner, landed in third with 168.75 points. 🥈🥉
The excitement didn't stop there! In the women's final, Austria's own snowboarding legend Anna Gasser 🇦🇹 claimed her 10th World Cup Big Air victory with a stellar score of 167.75. At 32, she became the oldest World Cup winner in FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe history. 🙌
\"This one is very special,\" Gasser shared. \"The level of the girls is just so great right now, and to still be able to keep up with my younger competitors—it's such a great time for me!\" ❤️
Japan's Reira Iwabuchi grabbed second place, trailing Gasser by 10 points, and 17-year-old rising star Mia Brookes of Germany 🇩🇪 rounded out the podium.
What a spectacular night for snowboarding fans worldwide! 🌟 Did you catch the epic tricks?
Reference(s):
China's Yang Wenlong claims first Snowboard Big air World Cup win
cgtn.com
