Stockholm, Sweden – Niklas Mattsson lifted a curse by clinching the first Swedish victory ever on Saturday in the six years of Stadium Winterjam World Cup Big Air contests in Stockholm.

Mattsson, 19, scored a total of 172.4 points with a final run consisting of a frontside 1080 double cork, and backside 1080 mute on Saturday to take the win over Austrian Michael Macho, with 167.4 points, and Russia’s Alexey Sobolev, who finished the day in third with 163.4 points. Saturday’s victory was the first on the World Cup circuit for Mattsson, whose previous World Cup best was a sixth-place result in 2009 in Seoul, South Korea.

“I’m feeling great. I actually don’t know what to say,” said a speechless Mattsson on Saturday. “I never was expecting this, although I felt pretty good, but after the first run in the finals I got pretty nervous.

“That was my first win ever, the first of a Swede here in Stockholm. It couldn’t be any better,” added Mattson. “I didn’t feel any pressure just because it was a home turf event. I’m here to have fun and enjoy the event.”

Macho’s final run consisting of a backside 1080 double cork, frontside 1080 tail was good enough to earn the Austrian rider a place on the podium. It was his career best Big Air result, and the second time that he’s stepped on the podium in 38 starts, following a third-place result in Denver, Colo., last season.

“I feel super good. I didn’t expect this at all. I’m at a loss for words,” said an also speechless Macho. “That is the perfect redemption after the setback I experienced in London three weeks ago. Now, I know again that I can do it. And that’s awesome!”

Sobolev reached the finals for the first time on Saturday in his previous three starts. The final run for the Russian, who won the 2011 slopestyle in Bardonecchia, Italy, included a frontside 1080 tail and switch backside 1080 double cork which made him the second Russian ever to bring home a World Cup Big Air podium result.

“That was crazy. So many crazy tricks. I’m super stoked,” Sobolev said following the competition. “In the qualifiers, I stomped a switch backside 1260 double cork for the first time ever. And I was like ‘what is going on here?’. But in the finals, I wasn’t going for it.”

The season’s third big air is scheduled for Feb. 24, 2012, in Quebec, Canada.  However, the riders will get the chance to collect some more points for the combined Slopestyle-Big Air World Cup at the World Cup debut of Jasna, Slovakia, which will host a slopestyle competition on Feb. 4, 2012.

OFFICIAL RESULTS
LG Snowboard FIS World Cup
Stockholm, Sweden – Nov. 19, 2011
Big Air