Arosa, Switzerland – Canadian snowboarder Dominique Maltais of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Quebec, finished fourth in the snowboard cross race in Arosa, Switzerland on Thursday, the sixth stop on the 2011 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup tour, and in doing so captured the prestigious Crystal Globe given to the athlete with the most accumulated points in the discipline over the entire season.nBulgaria’s Alexandra Jekova made history in Thursday’s race, winning her country’s first FIS World Cup race after seven previous podium finishes. Callan Chythlook-Sifsof of Girdwood, Alaska came second, followed by Zoe Gillings of Great Britain in third.
“I’m so happy, happy, happy,” said an enthusastic Jekova, 23. “I want to dedicate this victory to my father, who supported me over the past 10, 15 years as coach and wax tech. This win was the last tiny little bit missing and very important for my confidence. I never expected to be on top of the podium.”
In six starts this season to date, Maltais won three races and finished second twice, cumulating a total of 4800 points to lead the overall World Cup tour standings.
With only one race left on the calendar 2011, she currently have an insurmountable lead of 1600 points on her closest rivals, which are Jekova (3200 points) and American Lindsey Jacobellis (2810 points).
“I am very happy. It’s a pretty important trophy to go and win. The Globe is always my objective at the beginning of a season” said Maltais, 29. “ About ten minutes after the race, my coach came and told me the globe was mine, and that’s when I realized it. I will be able to sleep tight tonight and focus on my race tomorrow.
“I was not very nervous as I only needed a Top 15 to secure the Globe. Throughout my career, my results were always good, so I wasn’t too preoccupied. That being said, my qualifications yesterday did not go well, so I was a bit more nervous today for that reason. I had some good training with the guys on the team, and it gave me a boost of confidence before the race.
“From heat to heat throughout the race, everything went really well and as the race was unfolding, I felt better and better.”
This is the second Crystal Globe for Maltais; she was also crowned World Cup Champion in 2006, the Olympic year where she also won the bronze medal.
At the 2011 FIS World Championships in La Molina, Spain, Maltais finished third in a thrilling final. The bronze medalist at the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin shows 21 podiums in 53 World Cup starts. For the past two seasons, Maltais stepped on the podium nine times in 13 races.
Last season in 2010, Maltais’ Canadian teammate and Olympic Champion Maëlle Ricker of West Vancouver, British Columbia, won the Crystal Globe.
For the first time in FIS World Cup history, the snowboard cross race was held with heats of six athletes, instead of the traditional four athletes seen at the Olympic Games and World Championships. The X Games competition uses a similar format with six competitors per heat.
In the men’s competition, Olympic champion and 2011 World Championships silver medalist Seth Wescott of Carrabassett Valley, Maine, claimed the victory. Pierre Vaultier of France took second place to take over the World Cup lead heading into today’s last race of the season. Jonathan Cheever, of Saugus, Mass., finished 13th to relinquish the leader’s position. Fellow French rider Paul-Henri De le Rue finished third.
Wescott, who qualified third for the Thursday’s finals, took full advantage of the training runs before the race. Knowing where he lost speed in the qualifiers, Wescott committed through turn two to nail it once in training, giving him all the confidence he needed to rally through the heats for the win.
“Qualifying went well I was third, but I was kind of wuss in turn two. I never committed to it,” explained Wescott. “This morning I came out and knew I needed to nail that turn in training, and I did.”
Wescott charged out of the start in the quarterfinal round taking the hole shot in every heat from that point on. Known for his tactical racing skills, Wescott drafted off Vaultier in the finals before running a pass and clinching the win.
“I wanted to take a bunch of break time this year, but I’m psyched. I have four races now and I don’t have a finish worst than fourth,” said Wescott of his 2011 winter season. That’s the mission to keep coming out and getting solid results and giving myself some mental time. Tomorrow there’s another race and hopefully I’ll be back on the podium.”
OFFICIAL RESULTS
FIS World Cup
Arosa, Switzerland – March 24, 2011
Snowboardcross
Men
1. Seth Wescott, Carrabassett Valley, ME
2. Pierre Vaultier, France
3. Paul-Henri De le Rue, France
Women
1. Alexandra Jekova, Bulgaria
2. Callan Chytlook-Sifsof, Girdwood, AK
3. Zoe Gillings, Great Britain