Murphy takes season's first World Cup win

New Zealand’s Carl Murphy took his first World Cup win of the season at Big White, Canada, on Monday (19 January), in the last races ahead of the 2015 IPC Para-Snowboard World Championships in La Molina, Spain.

Murphy (2:20.93) beat Finland’s Matti Suur-Hamari (2:21.20) and the USA’s Sochi 2014 bronze medallist Keith Gabel (2:25.86) in the men’s banked slalom SB-LL2.

The women’s equivalent saw the Netherlands’ Bibian Mentel-Spee (2:29.69) collect maximum points once again. Australia’s Joany Badenhorst (3:03.12) continued her excellent run of form in second, taking her third podium of the season.

Dutch rider Lisa Bunschoten (3:04.57) completed the top three.

In the men’s upper-limb impairment race, Austria’s Patrick Mayrhofer (2:26.71) beat British rival Ben Moore (2:27.22).

Moore has enjoyed success in snowboard-cross head-to-head so far this season, but also lost out to Mayrhofer in the first World Cup banked slalom race in Landgraaf, the Netherlands.

Italy’s Manuel Pozzerle (2:34.50) continued his podium run in third.

France’s Cecile Hernandez-Cervellon (2:52.91) enjoyed her latest success in the women’s SB-LL1, collecting her fifth World Cup podium after winning snowboard-cross head-to-head on Saturday (17 January).

Nicole Roundy (3:02.37) picked up the latest podium for the US behind Hernandez-Cervellon, whilst Michelle Salt (3:28.70) sealed third for the hosts.

The men’s SB-L11 was won by the Netherlands’ Chris Vos (2:34.91), yet again showing his potential in the banked slalom after finishing in the top three in Landgraaf.

Giuseppe Communale (2:52.95) won Italy’s second podium of the day and Denmark’s Daniel Jorgensen (3:05.92), a track and field European and Paralympic Games medallist, sealed his first podium of the season in third.

Full results from all World and Europa Cup races are available at the IPC Snowboard website.

Riders now have just over month to finalise their preparations for La Molina 2015, which will feature over 80 riders from 20 countries competing in banked slalom and snowboard-cross head-to-head and time-trial.

Media accreditation is available at the La Molina 2015 website.