Ukraine’s Okipniuk wins first career World Cup in Ruka, Xu shows mettle with victory
Dec 06, 2025·Freestyle
On the opening day of the 2025/26 Freestyle World Cup season, with big guns struggling to fire, an opportunity was ripe for the taking for those who could step up.
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Okipniuk (UKR) did so in style, taking the first World Cup victory of his career to stand out in a field with several illustrious rivals.
In the women’s competition, reigning Olympic champion Xu Mengtao (CHN) took the win to show she is still the one to beat.
World Cup win years in the making for Okipniuk
The jump of the night belonged to Okipniuk, who delivered a show-stopping back double full-double-full-full in the superfinal to earn a massive 130.56 points.
The 27-year-old’s first win also happens to be his first trip to a World Cup podium. Before this win, the closest he had come to the podium was a sixth-place finish stretching back to the 2020/21 season.
The significance of the result was clear for all to see, and no one celebrated more audibly than Okipniuk himself.
He said: “I’m so happy, but this is the result of the work of my coach.
Pirmin Werner (SUI) finished second with 109.95 points, while Christopher Lillis (USA) finished just slightly behind with a 109.74 points effort.
Competition in the men’s field was so stiff that all six superfinalists needed scores of at least 115 points to make the cut.
Reigning Olympic champion Qi Guangpu (CHN) and 2025 world champion Noé Roth (SUI) struggled to adjust and finished outside of the top 12 in qualifications.
Xu signals intent ahead of fifth Olympic showing
Before Xu Mengtao (CHN) took to the Battery Air course on 6 December, she was already the most successful women’s aerialist on the World Cup circuit.
She finished the day by picking up another win to extend that lead, scoring 89.29 points in the superfinal.
The 35-year-old executed a back full-full-full that was good enough on the day to put her at the top, giving her a triumphant start to the World Cup season.
As a veteran on the circuit, Xu has always shown she finds a way out of tough spots. Perhaps most notably, as she chases a fifth Olympic Games, she looks like she is still having the time of her life on the hills.
She said: “Today was a very difficult day for me,” she said. “But I did it. I got nice quality and good landing on my triples. My goal is to do my best at the Olympic Games.”
Xu finished ahead of Marion Thenault (CAN), who finished second with 82.48 points. Chen Meiting (CHN) completed the podium with 75.31 points.
Laura Peel (AUS), the Crystal Globe winner of last season, made the top 12 but missed out on a spot in the superfinal.
Competition in Ruka continues on 7 December when the Moguls contest begins.
QUICK LINKS
Ruka World Cup FIS data page (start lists, results, etc)
