Tess Coady takes slopestyle bronze in World Cup opener

Courtesy www.owia.org

It was a stellar start to the FIS World Cup slopestyle season for 20-year-old snowboarder Tess Coady, with a third place podium performance at the opening event of the season overnight in Laax, Switzerland. 

The 2017 World Junior Champion from Melbourne qualified through to finals in sixth place at the prestigious event featuring a star studded field. 

Finals competition took place in difficult conditions, with competitors facing strong winds. Coady produced her best performance in the second and final run, scoring 76.93 to record the third World Cup podium of her career (1 gold, 2 bronze). 

Coady’s run included a half cab over the tube to boardslide to fakie on the waterfall, cab 180 to backside 360 out on the pole jam, cripple Indy on the wing kicker, frontside 720 melon to tail grab, backside 900 weddle, switch backside 180 nose grab out on the watch. 

“So stocked to have put down a good run and be back on the podium” said Coady after her podium performance. 

“My cab 180 to backside 360 on the pole jam and the backside 900 both did a lot for me today.”

Taking the win was two-time Olympic champion Jamie Anderson of the USA, with New Zealander Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in second. 

Coady will remain in Europe for training until the next events on the FIS competition calendar are confirmed.