Perathoner powers to first career World Cup win on home soil
Dec 22, 2018·Snowboard Cross
Cervinia (ITA) - A less snowy but more windy day greeted riders on the second day of competition at the season-opening back-to-back FIS snowboard cross World Cup races in Cervinia (ITA) on Saturday, and a pair of thrilling big final heats saw Eva Samkova (CZE) pull off an incredible come-from-behind win in the ladies’ competition, while Emmanuel Perathoner (ITA) capture his first career victory on home soil to thrill the Italian crowd in the men’s event.
For much of the big final it looked like Friday’s winner Lindsey Jacobellis (USA) would pull off the double victory and add to her all-time record in ladies’ SBX World Cup competition, opening up a huge gap between herself and the pack through the majority of the lengthy and demanding Cervinia track.
However, back in that pack was Sochi 2014 Olympic gold medallist Samkova, a tenacious rider who doesn’t know the meaning of the word “quit,” and who kept her sights set on Jacobellis despite the seemingly insurmountable gap through the middle section of the course.
Outpumping Jacobellis over the final roller stretch, Samkova edge Jacobellis by a board length at the finish line to claim her 11th career World Cup victory and her second podium in as many days after finishing runner-up to Jacobellis on Friday.
“It was hard out there today…I was really worried I wouldn’t be able to clear some of the jumps because of the wind, but it got better as the day went on” said Samkova, sporting drawn-on cat whiskers on Saturday, instead of her typical moustache, “My boards were running super fast and I felt it down there at the end when I was chasing Lindsey, like, ‘Yeah, I can make it, but it’s going to be tight.’ And it was super tight at the end. So, I’m really happy.”
Jacobellis’ earned her 51st career podium with the runner-up result, like Samkova earning a first and a second on the day to put the two in a tie atop the FIS snowboard cross leaderboard at this early stage of the season. Third place on the day went to Michela Moioli (ITA), as the reigning Olympic champion and 2017/18 crystal globe winner earned her first podium of the young season on home soil.
Perathoner earns career’s first in home soil win
A veteran of 88 career World Cup races, Emmanuel Parethoner could not have picked a better spot for the best performance of his life, as the 32-year-old played the hero on home soil by taking his first career World Cup victory in Cervinia in a thrilling men’s big final.
Finding himself last in the six-man heat after the start section, Perathoner played it cool through the first few turns of the winding Cervinia course, slowly closing the gap while his competitors jockeyed for position ahead of him.
By the middle of the course he had found his way back into and then through the pack, grabbing the inside line and carrying his speed all the way into the lead, with Jake Vedder (USA) hot on his heels all the way through to final rollers and into the finish.
“I knew I was fast at the bottom, so I just stayed calm through the top sections,” smiled Perathoner from the finish area, “I waited for the right moment to get the inside pass where I crashed yesterday (laughing). That’s our sport though, things change every day.”
Crowned the junior world champion just a few short months ago in Cardrona (NZL), 20-year-old Vedder announced himself as a force on the World Cup stage with his second-place performance - his first World Cup podium.
“My teammates were really encouraging me all day, and when I got to the bottom everyone just started tackling me,” Vedder laughed, “I couldn’t even believe what happened. I ecstatic to be here right now and it was a great day of racing. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Third place for the men went to Friday’s winner Martin Noerl (GER), giving him his first two career World Cup podiums in back-to-back days of competition and sole possession of top spot on the SBX World Cup leaderboard.
