Iouri Podladtchikov emerges triumphant in men’s halfpipe at 2012 Burton European Open
Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov walked away with top honours from men’s halfpipe finals at 2012 Burton European Open that went down at LAAX, Switzerland, on Saturday, March 3.
America’s Danny Davis had to settle for runner-up place while Japan’s Ryo Aono finished third to round out the podium.
With some of the best riders from around the globe converging to the primary event site to have a go at the top honours and winner’s prize at the 6Star Ticket to Ride (TTR) event, a heavy dose of thrilling action was expected on Saturday.
As the final got underway, the 23-year-old Podladtchikov put on a solid performance right from the word go. After an impressive Run 1, he followed it up with a phenomenal second run, throwing a front-side 900 tail grab, back-side 900 mute grab, front-side
double cork 1080, front-side grab and Cab double-cork mute grab. The effort earned him a score of 88.90 that held him in the lead until the end to seal the fate of the Final in his favour.
“It's home turf for me,” said an ecstatic Podladtchikov following the podium presentation. “I can't even talk right now. It's just incredible.”
Davis also landed an impressive performance during the Final to eventually find a place on the podium, his first since returning to competition after recovering from a back injury sustained in 2010.
The American rider earned his best score of 83.75 from his second run, which comprised of a Cab 1080 double cork indy grab, front-side 900 melon grab, back-side 540 mute grab, Cab double cork 1080 front-side grab, followed by a switch alley-oop back-side
rodeo 540 nose grab.
The Japanese rider Aono had remained undefeated in the current season of Burton Global Open series prior to the stop in Switzerland. However, the 2012 Burton European Open brought his excellent run to an end as he was forced to settle for third place after
earning an 83.08 off his second run. The run featured a front-side 1080 melon grab, Cab 1080 mute grab, front-side 900 melon grab and a back-side 540 mute grab.
Aono attempted to step up in the third round by adding a front-side 1260 to his run, but failed to complete the tricks cleanly, therefore failing to improve his Run 2 score.
The riders will head to Stratton Mountain in Vermont for the final stop of Burton Global Open series, Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships, which is scheduled to get underway from March 7 – 10.
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