Tudhope Wins Back-to-Back Para Snowboard World Cup Gold in Finland

Credit: Timotej Dudas / FIS Para Snowsports

Three-time Paralympian Ben Tudhope has won back-to-back golds at the Pyhatunturi Para Snowboard Cross World Cups in Finland over the weekend.

In his first Snowboard Cross competitions since winning bronze at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, Tudhope led from the front in both events, winning qualification and taking an early lead in the finals, knowing there were limited opportunities for overtaking on the intricate Finnish course.

Having won two silver World Cup medals in Para Banked Slalom events at the end of 2022, the 23-year-old Sydneysider said he’s stoked with the start of his SBX season.

“It’s great to start the year off in a really positive way and get the double win here in Finland,” Tudhope said.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a boardercross course, pretty much the last time was in Beijing when I got third, but being back in Finland is amazing. I love it here, especially when I spent almost half the year here over the last three years, it feels like a second home to me.”

With a deeper understanding of the Finnish Resort, Tudhope said he had a clear game plan to keep USA’s Keith Gabel and Japan’s Takahito Ichikawa in the minor placings, with both athletes joining Tudhope on the podium over the two days.

“I won qualification both days and then was able to win the start and get our front. There wasn’t too much room for passing on this course so I knew I needed to get out in front early and stick to my line and stay there and I’m so glad I was able to pull that off,” he said.

“The competition is so tough now. It's definitely upgraded since Beijing and everyone is riding really well and everyone wants it just as bad as each other.

“The course setters did an amazing job, so to stick to our game plan and execute what I needed to do was an added bonus. I was definitely focused on winning and being with the team. Having the right people around me, we were able to deliver.”

The Para Snowboard World Championships were originally scheduled to take place alongside the Para Alpine World Championships in Espot, Spain from 19-29 January, but the Snowboard events have recently been postponed to March due to a lack of snow in Europe’s unseasonably warm winter.

While the team awaits news of further World Cup events, Tudhope said he is holding onto his positive mindset.

“It just gives me added confidence heading into the rest of the season,” he said. 

“We actually don’t know what’s coming up… so we just have to keep positive, keep the mindset going and whenever we get the news of where the next World Cup will be, we’ll go there and hopefully we can redo what we did here.”

See all results from the Pyhatunturi Para Snowboard Cross World Cups HERE