Sochi, Russia – Italy’s Michela Moioli and Alessandro Haemmerle of Austria clinched the last snowboard race of the Olympic rehearsal events for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in Sunday’s World Cup snowboardcross, the fourth of the season.
Staged in the “Extreme Park” at Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort on a well prepared course, 17-year-old Moioli — the fifth ranked rider of the 2013 FIS Snowboard World Championships — celebrated her career’s first victory in her third World Cup start, and the Italian women’s team’s second under light snowfall. Italy’s only previous triumph in World Cup women’s snowboardcross dates back to 2000, when Carmen Ranigler won a race in Schoenried, Switzerland.
“I’m very happy,” said Moioli. “This place is fantastic. The course has been very good. I love this course.”
France’s Nelly Moenne Loccoz and Helene Olafsen of Norway completed the podium in second and third, respectively.
On the men’s side, Haemmerle broke a snowboardcross losing streak for Austria that lasted for nearly four years. His teammate Markus Schairer, who finished third on Saturday behind American Alex Deibold, was the last Austrian to win a World Cup snowboard cross race, in March 2009 in La Molina, Spain.
“I can’t really describe what is happing right now. It’s unbelievable that I won this race,” said Haemmerle. “But I guess, I really deserved this win today although you always need a little bit of luck, too.
“Winning on the Olympic hill is like setting an example,” he added. “And of course hopes are high now to do as good as today on this course next year.”
“I’m very happy about my first podium. I think it’s pretty appropriate,” said Diebold, of Manchester Center, Vt. “The conditions today made it pretty challenging. There was some hole shots, crashers and a lot of passes. It was pretty tight racing for most of the day. So I would call it a complete race.”
Canada’s Dominique Maltais still leads women’s SBX World Cup ranking with 3,000 points. Austria’s Alex Pullin defends the Yellow Bib on the men’s side with 2,550.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS Snowboard World Cup
Sochi, Russia – Feb. 17, 2013
Snowboard Cross
Women
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Points |
| 1 | 5 | MOIOLI Michela | 1995 | ITA | 1000.00 |
| 2 | 7 | MOENNE LOCCOZ Nelly | 1990 | FRA | 800.00 |
| 3 | 12 | OLAFSEN Helene | 1990 | NOR | 600.00 |
| 4 | 4 | BERGHUIS Bell | 1985 | NED | 500.00 |
| 5 | 15 | BRUTTO Raffaella | 1988 | ITA | 450.00 |
| 6 | 19 | BROCKHOFF Belle | 1993 | AUS | 400.00 |
| 7 | 1 | SAMKOVA Eva | 1993 | CZE | 360.00 |
| 8 | 6 | GULINI Faye | 1992 | USA | 320.00 |
| 9 | 10 | SCHMITT Lorelei | 1993 | FRA | 290.00 |
| 10 | 8 | CHAPOTOT Claire | 1990 | FRA | 260.00 |
Men
| Rank | Bib | Name | Year | Nation | Points |
| 1 | 4 | HAEMMERLE Alessandro | 1993 | AUT | 1000.00 |
| 2 | 14 | DEIBOLD Alex | 1986 | USA | 800.00 |
| 3 | 15 | SCHAIRER Markus | 1987 | AUT | 600.00 |
| 4 | 24 | HOLLAND Nate | 1978 | USA | 500.00 |
| 5 | 2 | PULLIN Alex | 1987 | AUS | 450.00 |
| 6 | 33 | VAULTIER Pierre | 1987 | FRA | 400.00 |
| 7 | 36 | VISINTIN Omar | 1989 | ITA | 360.00 |
| 8 | 9 | SCHAD Konstantin | 1987 | GER | 320.00 |
| 9 | 6 | JACOB Trevor | 1993 | USA | 290.00 |
| 10 | 37 | LEONI Tommaso | 1991 | ITA | 260.00 |