Snowboard: Gasser jumps on the podium at the start of the season

Olympic champion Anna Gasser started the Big Air World Cup for snowboarders in third place. Austria’s two-time sportswoman of the year had to admit defeat to the two Japanese Reira Iwabuchi (166.50) and Miyabi Onitsuka (165.00) on Saturday in Modena with 159.50 points. The 16-year-old Iwabuchi had also won the season opener in Cardrona (NZL) ahead of her compatriot.

The 27-year-old Carinthian did not take full risks in the final of six and did not play a “Backside Double Cork 1080”. “I’ve set my sights on a podium finish. I’m really happy that I made it to the podium despite the difficult conditions. Above all, the run-up was extremely unsettled, so I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks,” said Gasser.

In the men’s singles the victory with Takeru Otsuka also went to a Japanese. Clemens Millauer was ninth and third in the overall standings after two out of five competitions.