5Star NESCAFE’ CHAMPS 2011 comes to an end
The 5Star NESCAFE’ CHAMPS wrapped up with a spectacular final on the 12th of February at Leysin, Switzerland. After a nailing biting contest in the women’s Slopestyle, it was the World No. 2, Cilka Sadar from Slovenia who managed to triumph over her competitors
to win a major share of the $ 50,000 prize purse and the major TTR Tour Ranking points on offer, strengthening her second position on the TTR World Ranking. In the men’s Slopestyle, it was the exciting up-and-coming Swiss Lucien Koch who managed to best his
competition to clinch the win and enter the TTR Top 50.
NESCAFE’ CHAMPS, the oldest snowboard event in Europe, celebrated its 20thanniversary this year at Leysin. The Slopestyle event had kicked off on the 8thof February and reached its climax on the 12th. The weather on the final day was not ideal for a snow
event, but the slopestyle course in Leysin remained in perfect condition. The kickers, halfpipe and wallride all remained intact and ready for the finals. There was a decent turn out of Swiss crowd, who took the opportunity to relax in the warm spring-like
weather, and enjoy the classy snowboarders’ intense battle for victory.
In the women’s Slopestyle final, Slovenia’s Cilka Sadar exhibited exceptional skills to grab the title. She managed to take the lead in her very first run, and later improved on her score by showcasing even classier stuff. In her victory run, she executed
a backside 360, back to back 540’s in the halfpipe and finished off her run with a frontside 540 on the final jump. This run sealed the fate of the women’s contest. Cilka’s victory in the 5Star event earned her a handsome amount of TTR Ranking points, making
her second position in the TTR World Ranking even more secure. She is extremely determined to maintain her position in the TTR Top 3.
About her TTR standing she said, “Right now I’m World No. 2 on the TTR tour, it feels great, but I know I can’t really win because of Jamie and Kelly. But, I’m going to try my best to get second or third in the end of the season.”
The Swiss rider, Ursina Haller landed herself the second position in the contest, the win moving her up to the World No.8 position. Her compatriot Isabel Derunga came third and moved into the TTR Top 20.
On the men’s side, the contest remained pretty intense with everyone eager to prove their superiority over his competitor. It was the young gun from Sweden, Lucien Koch, who managed to triumph in the end. The 15-year-old pulled off a stylish frontside 720,
a backside 900, a frontside 900, a backside 900 and sailed into a tail blunt on the wallride. The run left both the crowd and the judges impressed. Finding an entrance into the event after success in the open qualification, Lucien exited after making a memorable
impact.
Thrilled on his success, he said, “Today was great for me, I won this competition and I can’t believe it! It was perfect for me, because I always ride kicker and pipe, and here you have kicker and pipe in one run.” The victory at the 5Star event moved him
into the TTR World Top 50.
The experienced Finnish rider, Risto Mattila, ended up second and Niklas Mattson from Sweden finished third.
With the 5Star NESCAFE’ CHAMPS wrapping up, the Swatch TTR World Tour moves even more close to the climax. The riders would be heading off to the last 6Star event before the finale, the Oakley Artic Challenge in Oslo, Norway, and try to win big points there
to secure or improve their standings in the season. Time to improve TTR World Ranking is running out with the Burton US Open getting closer and closer with every passing day. The men and women TTR World Champion is going to be crowned at the end of that event
and mark the end of the Swatch TTR World Tour 2010-11 season.
Tags: