Stoneham (QC), Canada – Iron River, Mich.’s Nick Baumgartner and Stratton Mountain, Vt.’s Lindsey Jacobellis took the top spots in the men’s and women’s World Cup snowboardcross events Thursday in Stoneham. Fellow American and newly crowned U.S. Champion Johnathan Cheever finished second for the men, while Dominique Maltais of nearby Petite-Rivière-St.-François, Quebec, fell to second in the women’s contest for the first time this winter.nBaumgartner, the X Games champion, raced through the field to earn his first World Cup win of the year.
“[The win] felt great. Everyone was out there to have fun. I’m taking over a new attitude, so I try and enjoy every heat and have as much fun as I can and the results follow,” said Baumgartner.
This year has treated Baumgartner well as he captured his first Winter X Games SBX gold medal in January. His compatriot Cheever, of Saugus, Mass., sped to second less than a week after earning the SBX U.S. Championship title. Alex Deibold, of Manchester Center, Vt., was fifth on the day, putting three Americans in the top five.
Jacobellis took Thursday’s World Cup win after claiming World Championship gold, X Games gold and the U.S. title all in less than a month.
“I was really excited that I was able to get out in front, establish a lead and not make any mistakes. The course ran great,” said Jacobellis.
Maltais finished in second after winning the season’s first three World Cup snowboardcross contests.
“We can’t win them all. Three in a row, that was pretty exceptional. It had been a long time since a girl was able to do that on the World Cup tour,” Maltais said. “The course was a lot tougher today than in training, with lot more hills. I made a huge error at the top of the course, but it’s ok since I stayed in second place. I was able to catch a lot of ground on Jacobellis in the second half of the race. It was a really nice race for all the girls.”
The second place by Maltais earned 800 World Cup points, giving her a considerable lead on the World Cup title. Maltais still leads the World Cup standings with 3800 points this season, followed by injured teammate Maëlle Ricker (2200), Alexandra Jekova (1960) and Jacobellis (1760).
World Cup snowboardcross riders now head to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for the next stop on the World Cup circuit Feb. 24-26.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Snowboard World Cup
Stoneham, Quebec – Feb. 17, 2011
Snowboardcross
Men
1. Nick Baumgartner, Iron River, MI
2. Johnathan Cheever, Saugus, MA
3. David Speiser, Germany
Women
1. Lindsey Jacobellis, Stratton Mountain, VT
2. Dominique Maltais, Canada
3. Deborah Anthonioz, France