The 2021/22 FIS Snowboard World Cup season officially got underway on Saturday at a brand new venue that seems destined to be a highlight stop on the circuit for years to come, as a massive, pumped-up crowd was on hand to watch Kokomo Murase (JPN) and Jonas Boesiger (SUI) claim the first World Cup victories of their careers at the Big Air Chur.
While changing snow conditions throughout the day meant that some riders struggled to put down clean runs in the finals, the electric, music festival vibe of the Big Air Chur, a home-country win for 26-year-old Boesiger, and the standout performance from Murase meant that spirits were high throughout the evening, giving the fans something to celebrate as the party continued long into the night at Chur.
MURASE HEAD AND SHOULDERS ABOVE TO CLAIM MAIDEN VICTORY
Murase came into finals riding high after qualifying in second behind her teammate Reira Iwabuchi, and the 16-year-old was able to keep the momentum rolling by stomping a backside double cork 1080 mute and a frontside double cork 900 frontside grab, for a two-run combined score of 173.75 that had her nearly 24 points ahead of second-place Anna Gasser (AUT) when the dust settled.
The victory was the first World Cup win for the young rider who famously won X Games big air gold at just 13 years of age back in 2018, and she showed once again on Saturday night that she’s got the nerves and the tricks to excel on the biggest of stages.
“I’m so happy,” Murase said after the awards ceremony, “I was very, very nervous because everyone was riding so good today. I’m just looking forward to doing my best riding in every competition leading up to the Olympics and then to do my best there in Beijing.”
As mentioned, the veteran Gasser stomped a cab double underflip 900 mute and a backside 720 melon to finish in second behind Murase with a score of 150.00, giving the 30-year-old Austrian her 13th big air World Cup podium and moving her into second place all-time behind her compatriot Stefan Gimpl.
More importantly, perhaps, is that Gasser’s performance on Saturday gives her a strong start to a season in which many tout her as the favorite to repeat as big air gold medallist at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
Third place on the day was Canada’s Jasmine Baird, who earned her first career big air World Cup podium on the strength of a cab double underflip 900 mute and a backside 720 mute for a score of 148.75.
BOESIGER THRILLS SWISS CROWD WITH HIS CAREER FIRST
On the men’s side of things, we saw a whole lot of crashing, as some of the world’s very best riders struggled to put down the landing gear on their gnarliest tricks on a Big Air Chur set-up that seemed to get slipperier as the sun went down. In fact, there were so many washouts that a rider like Mark McMorris (CAN) was able to move from last place to fifth overall simply by landing a triple 1440 on his final hit.
However, none of that takes away from the performance of Jonas Boesiger, as the local favorite embraced the pressure and stepped up in front of a sold-out Big Air Chur crowd. Stomping a first hit backside 1620 mute and a frontside triple cork 1440 mute on his second run, Boesiger would earn a combined score of 162.00 for the landmark victory.
When none of his closest competitors was able to catch Boesiger with their final runs, Switzerland’s hero of the night was able to finish things off with a stylish victory lap frontside 540 before getting mobbed by his teammates in the finish area.
“It was amazing,” Boesiger said of the experience, “The crowd was huge, the jump was pretty good, and it was really fun to ride today. I hope to keep the momentum going now as we lead up to Beijing.”
Second place on the evening went to the endlessly-entertaining Rene Rinnekangas (FIN), as the flying Finn put down a backside 1620 melon and a styled-out frontside 1080 melon for a score of 141.00 and the first World Cup podium of his career.
“It feels amazing, for sure,” said Rinnekangas on his result, “The jump was pretty hard to ride today, the take-off was a bit soft and I think a lot of people struggled with that and couldn’t do their best tricks, so I’m really stoked I was able to land two runs. I’m stoked about the first trick (backside 1620), I was lucky to find a good line and land that one.”
Third place went to Sven Thorgren (SWE), who appeared to be uninspired by the conditions when he spun a simple backside 1080 on his first hit. However, he stepped that up to a frontside double cork 1080 mute on run two, and then went heavy on run three with a signature backside 1440 melon on his final attempt for a score of 134.00 and his fifth career World Cup podium.
