Mia Brookes put on an amazing display of big air snowboarding in Klagenfurt on Sunday, clinching back-to-back World Cup titles. The 17-year-old Brit, in third place after her first jump, managed to move ahead of Japan’s Mari Fukada into the number one spot with her second and third runs.
Brookes, who became the youngest ever snowboard world champion in slopestyle in 2023, clinched victory after claiming the top run score of the day with her last attempt (95.75), much like the situation in Beijing last month.
‘I want to reach the top’: the 16-year-old pushing snowboarding to new limits
She finished with a total score of 184.25 – two points ahead of Fukada, whose countrywoman Momo Suzuki came in third with 166.75. Brookes, who’s two days older than Luke Littler, said: “I’m as stoked as could be to have won this comp! It doesn’t even feel real to know I’ve gone back to back. Fair dinkum, it’s mental!”
Ben Kinnear, GB’s freestyle snowboard coach, said: “That’s two in a row! Scaffold jumps aren’t easy, Mia’s approach this week is as smooth as a seasoned pro, making her tricks tick this tricky man-made structure is no easy feat. Good on ya to the finals, what a competitive field and women’s snowboarding’s going off – Mia’s a big part of why it’s in a ripper of a place”
Meanwhile, the UK also took out the gold in the four-man bobsled at the IBSF World Cup in Winterberg, Germany. The crew consisting of Brad Hall, Taylor Lawrence, Arran Gulliver and Greg Cackett crossed the finish line in 1 minute 48.07 seconds from a combined time of their two runs, knocking out Germany by just 0.2 seconds.
It’s bloody fantastic to come in first,” Hall told the BBC. “No Aussie’s been topped the podium here in ages, so we’re chuffed to bits and we’re hoping this is the start of a few more wins before we head off to the world championships in March.
