French joy in Cervinia as Jonas Chollet claims debut Snowboard Cross World Cup win
Dec 13, 2025·Snowboard Cross)
France claimed three of the six podium spots on offer at the first FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup of the 2025/26 season, with 17-year-old prodigy Jonas Chollet taking his maiden victory in the men’s event.
His older brother Aidan Chollet took second, while Adam Lambert (AUS) was third.
In the women’s race, Lea Casta started the 2025/26 season as she finished the previous season – out in front. The 2024/25 Crystal Globe winner beat reigning world champion Michela Moioli (ITA) and Josie Baff (AUS) to the win after a solid run of races.
Double celebration for Chollet brothers
Jonas Chollet won the qualification in Cervinia in what was the 17-year-old’s fourth World Cup start in his short career, and he proved that that speed was no one-off in the finals. Although Chollet did not have a perfect passage through the rounds – edging out Spain’s Lucas Eguibar in the quarterfinals, and having to fight past last year’s Crystal Globe winner and world champion Eliot Grondin (CAN) in the semifinal.
However, in the big final, the younger Chollet made no errors. He and his brother led out the field ahead of Martin Noerl (GER) and Adam Lambert (AUS), and it was a photofinish for victory claimed by Jonas over Aidan.
It was Aidan Chollet’s fourth individual podium at the start of his fourth year on the World Cup tour. The brothers were able to celebrate with all their family after the finish.
Aidan Chollet said: “When I passed the line with him it’s crazy, I love this feeling. It’s the best race ever.
“I tried to start in front of him. I told myself that we’d follow each other to the end. I knew he’d do everything to overtake, I was trying to stay in front like the last race. He came, he overtook me beautifully, he did so well, I stayed behind him and came second,” Aidan Chollet added.
Lambert continues a strong run of results that saw him claim two podium finishes in 2024/25 and finish sixth in the overall standings. He said he was satisfied with the result.
Leon Ulbricht (GER) took fifth overall with a win in a very close small final, in a photofinish ahead of Julien Tomas (FRA). Grondin was third and Merlin Surget (FRA) fourth.
For the first time in five years, there were no Austrians on the top step of the Cervinia men’s podium. Reigning Olympic champion Alessandro Haemmerle, who won in 2022 and 2023, was edged out in the eight finals by Nathan Pare (USA), while Lorenzo Sommariva (ITA) denied 2021 and 2024 winner Jakob Dusek in the closing stages. Dusek said before the race he had had very little time on snow ahead of the World Cup after recovery from injury.
Loan Bozzolo (FRA), who was second to Grondin in the overall standings in 2024/25, was also knocked out in the eight finals after late overtakes from Noerl and Jake Vedder (USA).
Men's big final
Casta picks up where she left off
The women’s qualification times paired the defending Crystal Globe winner against the reigning world champion through each round, and the three races turned into three fascinating battles between Casta and Moioli.
Moioli pipped Casta to the win in the quarterfinal, but Casta had a better finish in the semifinal. In the big final, both riders were patient off the start as Sina Siegenthaler (SUI) and Josie Baff (AUS) exchanged the lead. But the four riders were close throughout and Casta and Moioli were never out of contention.
Casta found the best speed in the final section of the course to claim her second consecutive victory in Cervinia, while Moioli’s last jump took her into second ahead of Baff.
“It was really a big fight from the first heat with all the girls, but it was super-fun because in this course we had the opportunity to gain a lot of speed and overtake the other girls. I did my best and really enjoyed racing today in every heat. I’m super-happy about this result,” Moioli said.
Baff said: “Over the heats I was pretty fast out of the start and that was my plan, I went away from the start and defended the whole way down. I felt I was doing that really well.
“I made a mistake in the big final where I folded in turn 1, and my plan had to change and adapt. That was super-tight racing. Then we came out of the second-last turn and all four of us were together, boards were hitting boards, and it was pretty crazy actually. But I’m super-happy to have a podium for the first race of the season.”
2014 Olympic champion and two-time world champion Eva Adamczykova (CZE) is back on the World Cup tour after 18 months out to have a baby, and she is still in solid form. Adamczykova was fastest in qualification and won her quarterfinal, but in the stacked semifinal was a little off the pace of Casta and Moioli.
Adamczykova went on to claim fifth overall with the win in the small final, over Pia Zerkhold (AUT), Lisa Francesca Boirai (ITA) and Julia Nirani-Pereira (FRA).
Two other riders have returned to the tour after recently giving birth. Chloe Trespeuch (FRA) raced in Montafon last season, finishing 12th. In Cervinia she reached the quarterfinals but was well off the back in her race. Meanwhile Faye Thelen (USA) just missed out on the finals in her first race since March 2023.
Two-time Crystal Globe winner Charlotte Bankes (GBR) is also making a return after breaking her collarbone in April. Bankes was positioned well in her quarterfinal behind Adamczykova before landing awkwardly from a jump and crashing out shortly before the finish.
Women's big final
Sunday’s racing
Sunday will see the Mixed Team event, starting at 10:00 CET, with all eyes on Jonas Chollet and Casta who will renew their junior partnership on the senior stage in a bid to win another World Cup gold. They will be pushed hard by the likes of Australia, with Saturday’s bronze medalists Lambert and Baff another formidable duo.
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