Bakuriani 2023 closes with Ledeux and Podmilsak golds in mind-blowing big air showcase
Mar 04, 2023·Freeski Park & Pipe
The Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships closed out on Saturday afternoon in truly remarkable fashion, with Tess Ledeux of France and the USA’s Troy Podmilsak earning the final gold medals of a huge 14 days in Georgia in a big air showcase that was one of the most progressive ever witnessed.
It was likely the biggest day of action in FIS World Championships history on Saturday, as incoming adverse weather forecast for Sunday meant that both snowboard and freeski big air finals were moved up to Saturday, where freeski halfpipe finals were also on the docket.
While it all seemed like an impossible to task to get through at the beginning of the day, by the time a triumphant freeski big air finals wrapped up on Saturday afternoon it all turned out to be not only possible, but hugely successful, and the Bakuriani 2023 World Championships closed out on the highest of highs.
LASER-FOCUSED LEDEUX EARNS BIG AIR REDEMPTION AFTER SLOPESTYLE CRASH
In the women’s competition we witnessed a laser-focused Tess Ledeux earning redemption after a heartbreaking result in slopestyle earlier in the week, where she suffered a heavy crash in finals and finished in 12th.
There would be no such trouble for Ledeux in big air, as the 21-year-old Beijing 2022 silver medallist came out absolutely firing in run one, stomping a left double cork 1620 safety that would earn a score of 94.25 and stand as the highest scoring trick of the women’s competition.
Ledeux would follow that up with a brand new trick - a switch left double cork 1260 safety that she had never previously attempted in competition. While she wasn’t able to put it down clean in run two, in run three she rose to the occasion and stomped it, locking in a score of 92.50 for the run and a total score of 186.75 on her way to a dominant victory.
“It’s just a dream come true and I can’t believed,” said an overjoyed Ledeux from the finish area, “I had a really bad crash in slopestyle, so taking the win in big air makes me just so, so happy.
“Before dropping in on my last run the pressure was so high, so I’m just super stoked I was able to land my last trick. It was the first time I landed it in competition so it’s pretty amazing.”
Second place, the silver medal, and the first of two Norwegian podiums on the day went to 27-year-old Sandra Eie, who came into finals as a long-shot for the podium before throwing down some of the most stylish tricks of the competition to claim a first career World Championships medal.
With a left double cork 1260 mute on run one and a right double cork 1080 Japan on run two, Eie would earn a score of 175.00 and the biggest podium result of her career on the biggest stage of the season.
Rounding out the podium in third place and claiming the bronze medal was Canada’s Megan Oldham, who came into competition as one of the favourites after landing the first-ever women’s triple cork on her way to winning X Games big air gold a few weeks ago.
While Oldham wouldn’t attempt the triple here in Georgia, with a left double cork 1080 mute on run one and a switch left double cork 1080 Japan on run two, the 21-year-old did more than enough to earn her second medal of the Bakuriani 2023 World Championships and the third World Champs medal of her career.
18-YEAR-OLD PODMILSAK STOMPS FIRST 2160 IN FIS COMPETITION FOR GOLD
Over on the men’s side of things it was an absolutely dizzying display of skiing from the 10 skiers qualified to finals, and as with the women the Bakuriani men’s finals should go down as one of the greatest of all time.
The best amongst all of the unbelievable runs put down on Saturday came from Troy Podmilsak of the USA, as the 18-year-old snuck into finals in the last qualification spot and then blew all expectations out of the water with runs that even had the judges momentarily flummoxed.
Podmilsak kicked things off with a switch right double bio 1980 safety in the very first run of the men’s finals, sitting the bar and earning himself a score of 91.25 to start out strong.
In his second run Podmilsak blew the roof off of the competition, putting down a right triple cork 2160 mute that was so clean and so smooth that the judges originally scored at as an 1800.
Upon further review it became clear the the US freeski rookie had indeed become the first skier ever to land a forward triple 2160 in competition, and the 96.50 score he received reflected this by being the highest of the day for any athlete, giving him a two-jump score of 187.75 and the Bakuriani 2023 big air gold medal.
“That was the first time I've ever done it (the triple 2160),” Podmilsak said after the dust had settled on the competition, “I did it on the air bag a few times and didn't really land it. I just went for the win today. I didn't want to get second place - I just wanted to win. That's the first time I've ever really landed it, ever.
“I actually did not think I would be world champion here. I thought maybe a few years down the road. It feels good, and I'm really proud of myself. I can't even really believe it. It almost feels like a dream to me. I'm proud of myself and proud of my team. We worked really hard for this.”
Second place on the day went to top qualifier Lukas Muellauer of Austria, who became the second ever to land a 2160 in FIS Freeski competition just one run after Podmilsak became the first.
Muellauer’s first run saw him put down a left double bio 1980 blunt, which he followed up with a switch left double 1800 blunt in run two two. In run three, knowing he had to go all-in if he was to grab a piece of the Bakuriani 2023 podium, Muellauer upped the ante significantly, putting down a switch left double 2160 tail grab that would launch him into silver medal position with a score of 184.50, giving the 25-year-old a score of 184.50 and his first World Championships podium in his 10th start.
Finally, rounding out the men’s podium with the bronze medal was Norway’s Birk Ruud, already the Bakuriani 2023 slopestyle gold medallist from Monday.
Ruud has not missed a podium in FIS Freeski competition so far in the 2022/23 season, and on Saturday he kept that streak going. Stomping a switch left triple cork 1980 mute on run one and backing it up with a left double bio 1800 mute in run two, Ruud finished just one point back of Muellauer with a combined score of 183.50.
And with that the Bakuriani 2023 FIS Freeestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships came to a close, with every event on the programme completed and some truly incredible moments logged in every single one of them.
A huge thank you goes out to the Georgian Ski Federation and all the staff and volunteers that helped make the biggest sporting event in Georgia’s history such a successful and memorable one, as well as to all of the athletes for making the ski and snowboard magic we were all so lucky to witness over the past two weeks. What a time that was.
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