Skip to Content. Skip to Navigation.
Other sports

News

Aussies on top of world

Aussies on top of world

01/20/2011 11:41:37 PM

Australians Nathan Johnstone and Holly Crawford were both crowned world champions in the men's and women's halfpipe finals for snowboarding in Spain overnight (Australian time).

Crawford, 26, and Johnstone, 20, both racked up career highlights with their respective wins in La Molina, backing up compatriot Alex Pullin's snowboard cross victory earlier in the week.

Crawford hit the lead in her opening run with a stunning performance, despite a stiff wind that created problems for majority of the field.

The Perisher Blue-based boarder finished on 26.7 points, 3.3 points ahead of Swiss rider Ursina Haller with China’s Jiayu Liu coming in third with 22.5 points.

Crawford's win surpassed her previous best achievement of winning a world championship silver medal in Korea in 2009.

Johnstone, who also hails from Perisher Blue in New South Wales, secured his championship in his first run, handling the conditions the best of the 13 finalists finishing on 26.8 points, 0.6 ahead of Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov.

Finn Markus Malin finished 2.5 points behind Johnstone.

The triumph for Johnstone will come as sweet redemption, after he missed out on competing in Vancouver at the Winter Olympics last year after he fractured his ankle.

The victories of Pullin, Johnstone and Crawford this week push Australia's tally of winter sport world champions to eight, joining Kristie Marshall, Jacqui Cooper, Alisa Camplin, Dale Begg-Smith and Zali Steggall as having won gold at a World Championship.

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

You Might Also Like

Most Read Articles

Cold tyres almost cost Webber dearly
Cold tyres almost cost Webber dearly
Motorsport
05/27/2012 10:46:36 PM
Monaco Grand Prix winner Mark Webber described the end of Sunday's race as 'very strange' ...
 
 
Inu stars as Dogs deny Roosters
League
05/28/2012 10:54:23 AM
 
Freo's failure comes down to talent
AFL
05/27/2012 11:02:27 PM
 
Knights sign Broncos discard
League
05/28/2012 08:27:12 AM
 
Sea Eagles to accept Matai's ban
League
05/28/2012 05:41:32 AM
 
Gritty Tigers do Sheens proud
League
05/27/2012 10:01:48 PM
 
Leilua charged and stood down
League
05/28/2012 04:01:25 AM
 
Bombers look to set up season
AFL
05/28/2012 01:41:21 AM
 
 
 

Galleries

The Weekend That Was
28/05/2012 1:40:06 PM
Take a look back at all the weekend sport from around the world. We have it all covered from AFL to Baseball to Barefoot Running and even some Sailing. So take some time off and look back at what you might have missed.
Super Bowl XLVI
6/02/2012 7:21:01 PM
The New York Giants are the world champions for the second time in four years after a dramatic Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots in Indianapolis.