ANC starts with a bang at Hotham
Published Fri 16 Aug 2024
Image courtesy of Chris Hocking, Hotham Alpine Resort
The Australia New Zealand Cup is an important competition which not only provides top level racing during the domestic sesaon but also provides an opportunity for athletes to potentially advance to racing on the world stage.
This week Mount Hotham has provided the perfect venue for Ski Cross and Snowboard Cross racing from Wednesday to Saturday on the back of a highly succesful Snow Australia FUTURES camp and the opening round of the FIS JNR SBX Series powered by the Chumpy Pullin Foundation.
After helping lead the FUTURES earlier in the week, Liam Michael has come out on the opening two days of racing for back-to-back SX wins in the ANC, just reward for a strong domestic training block ahead of the northern winter.
"It's a really good test for my off-season," said Michael. "It's really helpful for FIS points and ANC points to get these wins and get me closer to that World Cup spot that I need for the upcoming northern hemisphere season."
On the opening day of SBX competition, Cam Bolton edged out Adam Lambert and Declan Dent in a photo finish to claim the first men's race, the charge to the line proving how important the ANC is even to athletes who have stood on World Cup podiums.
In the first of three races for the women, reigning FIS Snowboard Cross Rookie of the Year Mia Clift claimed victory in the Big Final ahead of 2024 Europa Cup champion Noemie Widemer (SUI) and Maya Billingham, who took out the FIS JNR SBX Series race on Wednesday.
