Gold rush at Copper Mountain

NSWIS athletes Nathan Johnstone and Torah Bright both won gold medals at the snowboard half-pipe world cup event at Copper Mountain in the USA over the weekend.

Competing in the men’s event, Johnstone scored 94.8 points with his best run to secure gold ahead of his world championship defence next week in Canada.

Fellow NSWIS athlete Bright showed the form that won her a Winter Olympic gold medal two years ago in Canada, scoring 85.8 with her best run to win by over three points.

Elsewhere, NSWIS slopestyle skier Russ Henshaw continued his excellent run of results by taking silver in the men’s ski slopestyle at a world cup event in France. Henshaw finished his run with 92.2 points, a mere 1.2 points behind the gold medallist.

The French world cup event also saw several NSWIS ski cross athletes in action. Anton Grimus and Scott Kneller finished 16th and 21st, respectively, in the men’s ski cross, while Sami Kennedy-Sim and Katya Crema finished 14th and 17th, respectively.

Kennedy-Sim and Crema also competed at events in Alpe d’Huez , France late last week, with Kennedy-Sim finishing sixth to achieve a new world cup personal best, while Crema won Europe cup bronze in the women’s ski cross.