NZSnowboard.com - The home of New Zealand Snowboarding

8th December 2008

Grenoble. FRANCE - The host country's Mathieu Crepel, a representative of the Equipe Tricolore, scored 52.1 points to claim the Gold medal Saturday over 51 other competitors in the first ever LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Big Air held on French snow.

In an exciting final in Grenobles Park Paul Mistral, with a lead of only 0.7 points the reigning Big Air and Halfpipe World Champion relegated 2008 World Cup winner Stefan Gimpl of Austria to second place. In the battle to round out the podium in front of 15,000 spectators, Finlands Jaakko Ruha claimed third with a score of 47.7, just 0.4 points off the winning score.

French snowboarder Mathieu Crepel drops in under the lights Saturday night en route to victory at the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup in Grenoble, France. (photo: FIS/Oliver Kraus)

French snowboarder Mathieu Crepel drops in under the lights Saturday night en route to victory at the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup in Grenoble, France.

Gimpl had taken the lead after the first two rounds with a stylish Frontside 1080, earning a score of 27. Crepel was 1.8 points back after performing the same trick. Although he has not competed in any Big Air contest after his big success at the 2007 World Championships in Arosa, the 24-year-old Crepel took the lead with a decisive third run in the final, sticking a Switch Backside 900 tail to defy the falling rain, receiving 26.9 points from the five judges.

Austrian freestyle legend Gimpl couldnt counter. It was awesome today, simply high-class snowboarding at its best," Gimpl said. "I really enjoyed the battle with Mathieu although I lost it and finished as runner-up. In the end, he was spinning in the other direction while I was only able to throw in a 'Frontside 900'.

Im so happy about this victory," an enthusiastic Crepel said after his win. "I definitely felt the pressure because the French people were expecting a lot. Therefore, I wanted to do well although I preferred to ride the backcountry in the past and wasnt training that much.

Crepel also had high praise for Victor De le Rue, the newest young upstart from the famed French snowboard clan. He was riding very strong. That is good for the future.

After De le Rue's brothers Xavier and Paul-Henri have ruled Snowboard Cross, the youngest offspring of this snowboard family only missed the podium by 0.8 points, finishing fourth in his second World Cup appearance.







LINK:   www.fis-ski.com