Louie Vito wins Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe gold at 2011 Winter X Games Europe
The 2011 Winter X Games Europe (WXE) wrapped up with the Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe final on Friday, March 18, at Tignes, France.
After an intense battle between the sensational riders from all around the world, it was America’s Louie Vito who stood tall on the podium with the gold medal around his neck. Defending WXE gold medallist Iouri Podladtchikov had to settle for the silver
this year. Another rider from Switzerland, Christian Haller, rounded out the podium after securing bronze by finishing in third.
On the night of 18th March, 22,000 spectators were in attendance to witness the superpipe battle between the world’s greatest riders for the coveted gold medal. The minimum anyone was willing to settle was the bronze. The riders were well aware of the fact
that WXE was the perfect platform to make a strong statement by showcasing their outstanding skills and getting these skills acknowledged through a medal.
The 22-year-old Vito did not have a great start to the final as he failed to do much in his first run. However, he came down strongly in his second run, throwing down a double crippler to Michalchuk to frontside double cork 1080 to cab double cork 1080.
The run earned him a huge score of 93.00, which remained unbeaten throughout the course of the event and allowed him to take the gold medal home.
“I thought the pipe was good; the riding was great,” agreed Vito, who was all smiles after the last rider dropped and his winning score held the top spot. “It's great. This is my first X Games gold medal. So, obviously, I'm stoked.”
Podladtchikov’s strong determination to defend his title was evident in all his runs. While everyone missed out on their first run due to the twilight hour that made it difficult to see the pipe walls clearly, he managed to throw down an impressive run;
consisting of a cab doublecork 1080 to frontside inverted 540 to backside double McTwist 1260 to frontside double cork 1080 and a switch air to regular at the climax.
He repeated the same tricks in his second run and not only did he gain higher amplitudes, he pulled off his tricks to perfection. This run, which Podladtchikov regarded as his best one of the day, earned him his second best score of 90.33. His best score
of 91.33 came from his third run even though he had bobbled. The score was still not good enough to replace Vito at the top, and he ended up with the silver medal.
“Of course it's nicer to win gold, but I'm still very excited about today because it was probably the most fun day in my season. Everything worked today and it was a really fun pipe,” said Podladtchikov after the final results were displayed.
The 21-year-old Haller secured the bronze medal after landing an impressive third run which earned him his best score of 82.33. This final run was comprised of a frontside 1080, cab 1080, frontside 900, backside 540 and a frontside double cork 1080. Haller’s
beaming face was a good enough proof of his complete satisfaction with the result.
The rest of the riders pulled off some decent runs as well but unfortunately, the spotlight usually remains on the top three only in the end. Of course, there is always next year for them to make it to the podium by utilising the year to brush up their skills.
With the climax of Men’s Snowboard SuperPipe event, it was time to bid farewell to this years’ WXE. WX is an epitome of thrilling winter sports action and a stage where the best from all around the world gather to complete for the ultimate glory.
Regardless of the stage shifting to France for the second year of WX’s foreign instalment, WXE, the hype and enthusiasm is still the same. Only the highest level of riding and skiing is expected under the banner of WX, and that is exactly what the fans got
exposed to at 2011 WXE.
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