Telluride, CO – In near-blizzard conditions at Telluride on Friday, two-time Olympic champion Seth Wescott, of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, climbed back on top of the FIS Snowboarding World Cup podium, taking a photo finish win in the men’s USANA Snowboardcross Cup over Australia’s Alex Pullin. Canada’s Dominique Maltais took the women’s title in the second competition of this season’s touor.
Wescott celebrated his career’s third World Cup victory in a photo finish. Two years ago, the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Champion had lost a similarly close race in Telluride to Pierre Vaultier of France. This time, the SBX veteran had the luck on his side crossing the finish line just a few inches ahead of reigning World Champion Alex Pullin of Austria, with Canada’s Christopher Robanske rounding out the podium asin third.
“It feels really good to be back,” Wescott acknowledged. “I didn’t even get into heats in Austria last week. So when I hole-shotted that first one I said, ‘Here we go.’ I love doing this.
“I had another good upper section, I pulled drag on Robanske and got by him by the second triple. I had been having problems on that second straightaway all week,” explained Wescott, who ended his season early last January with an injury. “The second set of rollers were a little choppy so it was hard to make an effective pump. I was almost happy each run when someone would come by me and I could pull draft again.
“So when Alex came by me I knew I could set him up for turn six. I had a great turn five and just carried that momentum. On the lower section, it was snowing so hard that I was just waiting off the finish jump because I didn’t go far enough. I was waiting for someone to slingshot me. But I didn’t want to look, I was just down in my tuck and hoping that finish line would come as fast as it could.”
Italy’s Omar Visintin, who finished eighth on Friday, defends his World Cup lead with a total of 1,320 points. Pullin sits in second in the men’s ranking with 1,300 points.
Maltais, the women’s World Cup leader, secured a back-to-back win ahead of teammate Maelle Ricker and Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria. The 32-year-old from Petite-Riviere-St-Francois, Quebec, sits comfortably at the top position of the World Cup ranking, having received the maximum of 2,000 points so far.
“I’m going to have a really good Christmas with these two wins,” said Maltais, the 2012 FIS Crystal Globe winner. “It’s a good way to start the season and now I get to spent some time with friends and family the next couple of weeks.”
Salt Lake City’s Faye Gulini finished on top of the U.S. women competitors in ninth.
The boarders now have a month off before the Mazda Snowboard FIS World Championship presented by Videotron at Stoneham Resort, Quebec, Canada, from January 15 to 26.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Snowboard World Cup
Telluride, CO – Dec. 14, 2012
Men’s Snowboard Cross
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Points |
| 1 | 29 | WESCOTT Seth | 1976 | USA | 1000.00 |
| 2 | 12 | PULLIN Alex | 1987 | AUS | 800.00 |
| 3 | 6 | ROBANSKE Christopher | 1989 | CAN | 600.00 |
| 4 | 2 | SIVERTZEN Stian | 1989 | NOR | 500.00 |
| 5 | 8 | LEONI Tommaso | 1991 | ITA | 450.00 |
| 6 | 1 | SCHAIRER Markus | 1987 | AUT | 400.00 |
| 7 | 15 | BAUMGARTNER Nick | 1981 | USA | 360.00 |
| 8 | 19 | VISINTIN Omar | 1989 | ITA | 320.00 |
| 9 | 3 | HOLLAND Nate | 1978 | USA | 290.00 |
| 10 | 13 | DEIBOLD Alex | 1986 | USA | 260.00 |
Women’s Snowboard Cross
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Points |
| 1 | 1 | MALTAIS Dominique | 1980 | CAN | 1000.00 |
| 2 | 4 | RICKER Maelle | 1978 | CAN | 800.00 |
| 3 | 7 | JEKOVA Alexandra | 1987 | BUL | 600.00 |
| 4 | 14 | MEILER Simona | 1989 | SUI | 500.00 |
| 5 | 5 | AUBRY Emilie | 1990 | SUI | 450.00 |
| 6 | 3 | RAMBERGER Maria | 1986 | AUT | 400.00 |
| 7 | 8 | MOENNE LOCCOZ Nelly | 1990 | FRA | 360.00 |
| 8 | 2 | SAMKOVA Eva | 1993 | CZE | 320.00 |
| 9 | 9 | GULINI Faye | 1992 | USA | 290.00 |
| 10 | 11 | GILLINGS Zoe | 1985 | GBR | 260.00 |