Bronzed Coady representing Aus in final Slopestyle World Cup

Courtesy: www.owia.org

Less than a week since claiming Australia’s first Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup medal, PyeongChang hopeful Tess Coady will compete in the season’s last Olympic qualifier at Laax, Switzerland.

The Junior Snowboard World Champion started 2018 “with a bang” after taking bronze in Snowmass, Colorado on Friday -- a moment that she said was indescribable.

Finishing the day with a best score of 75.43, a mere 01.63 points separated the 17-year-old Victorian high school student and the event’s gold medallist, Kiwi Christy Prior.

Current world number one Reira Iwabuchi from Japan finished the day in second with a score of 76.48.

Coady, who is now ranked fifth in the discipline, said that she was “feeling pretty good” heading to the Swiss ski resort this week and hoped to replicate another high scoring run.

“The last time I was there the course was pretty sweet,” she said.

“[It’s] a pretty long course too kind of like this one [at Snowmass] but yeah, that should be good fun too so just [going to] go and try and get something down there too.”

​The young gun rose to prominence in 2017 after she claimed both the Big Air and Slopestyle Junior World Championships within the space of two days in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic.

Fellow Aussie Matthew Cox, who finished in 34th place at Snowmass with a best score of 20.25, won’t be joining Coady in Switzerland.

Instead, the 19-year-old will remain in the U.S. and compete at the Mammoth Snowboard Grand Prix in California with qualifications to be held on 18th January.

The final Snowboard Slopestyle World Cup before PyeongChang kicks off on Wednesday 17 January, with finals held on Friday. For live results click HERE.

David Barden
OWIA