SNOWBOARDING:

Jacobellis wins in Italy, Canada’s Maltais fourth

March 18, 2011     ♦ Video by Infront Sports & Media/FIS
 

VALMALENCO, Italy — Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States won a World Cup snowboardcross race on Friday. World Cup leader Dominique Maltais of Canada was fourth.

Jacobellis finished ahead of Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic and Deborah Anthonioz of France.

Alberto Schiavon of Italy topped the men's competition ahead of Americans Jonathan Cheever and Nate Holland.

The two winners were fastest in qualification on Thursday and remained consistent on a course peppered with 18 features.

Maltais, of Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que., will have to wait until next week to capture the coveted FIS crystal globe as she finished off the podium for the first time this season on the 2011 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup.

Maltais needs to finish in the top 15 in either one of the next two races to secure the globe, a feat she has done in all but four races throughout her 52-race career.

“I had a great start to the race, but the course wasn’t that easy since there was a long section with lots of jumps and strong facing winds. I was caught up by the American and the Czech riders. We always try to manage our surroundings to make sure there aren’t any pushing around. At one point, I was pushed to take a very wide and slower line to the left, and that’s when the French rider came in the picture,” said Maltais.

“I am certainly not disappointed. I am having an excellent season, and we can’t expect to always land on the podium. I was able to take some very positive learning’s from today’s race.”

“The globe is really a gift at the end of the year — that I really want to have. In reality, I focus on each race, one after the other, individually. I know I have a very strong lead, and it would very bad luck not to win it.”

The last time Maltais was off the podium goes back to March 19, 2010 — a year ago — in La Molina, Spain, where she finished fifth.

“Dominique didn’t control the medal race — the race controlled her. As a result, she got cornered by her opponents and couldn’t make her own decision, but in fact follow her opponent’s decision. With Dominique, we are never satisfied when she doesn’t win, because we know she has the talent and the abilities to win, every day she races. Second place is not something we are aiming or looking for,” said Marcel Mathieu, head coach of the Canadian team.

“We saw some great technical aspects of Dominique today — she had great starts, she moves well, and she chooses some great performance lines. At the end of the day, we can’t win them all, it’s as simple as that.”

Canada’s Carle Brenneman of Comox, B.C., taking part in her first elimination rounds, made a critical mistake at the start of her first run and wasn’t able to move on the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, she posts her best performance on the FIS World Cup tour in her career with a 12th position. Prior, her best World Cup result was a 19th place in Lech, Austria, in December.

Kevin Hill of Vernon, B.C., finished fifth, winning the small final to determine fifth to eighth position. Hill is enjoying a breakthrough season on the tour and now sits as the top Canadian in seventh position in the FIS World Cup standings.

Hill was relegated to the small final after a photo finish in the semifinal against Alberta Schiavon of Italy.

“It’s good for Kevin. It shows a lot of continuity from his mid-season success. On a long-term vision, he is definitively the rising star of the team. He has the best results of the team to date. Globally, his attitude is really positive. Technically, there are still some weaknesses, but he also has some strong points that he exploits.” said Mathieu.

“He brings a breath of fresh air within the team, and he motivates the younger athletes. He’s slowly developing as a leader, even if he doesn’t have all the experience. In term of performances, he is present and that’s good for all of us.”

Francois Boivin of Jonquière, Que., who had a tough qualifying round Thursday, came back strong today to finish in 10th position. Tom Velisek of Squamish, B.C., also came back with a vengeance to finish 12th. Rob Fagan of Cranbrook, B.C., finished 26th, followed by rookie Jake Holden of Caledon, Ont., in 31st.

— The Canadian Press and Canada Snowboard contributed to this report