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Valentino Wins Crystal Globe as Ben Wins World Cup

NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) winter athletes continue to dominate the podium during the northern hemisphere winter.

Returning after the holiday break, NSWIS scholarship holder Valentino Guseli became the FIS Snowboard World Cup Big Air Crystal Globe Champion while Para snowboard cross athlete and NSWIS scholarship holder Ben Tudhope won back to back world cups in Pyhatunturi, Finland.

Valentino became Australia’s first-ever overall International Ski and Snowboard Federation Snowboard big air world cup winner at the final event of the season in the discipline in Kreischberg Austria, with Japan’s Reira Iwabuchi joining him as the first Crystal Globe winners of the year.

“Big air world cup debut year was a great success… I like!” Valentino said on Instagram.

“It’s been so much fun shredding with all the homies and putting some runs down this week. I took 4th last night to secure the overall world cup championship and crystal globe for the 22-23 season.”

Although Valentino placed fourth with 180.00 in the men’s competition in the Austrian resort, it was enough to top the season’s standings in the big air discipline with 214 points. Meanwhile Japan enjoyed a podium sweep led by Taiga Hasegawa with 186.00 points, Ryoma Kimata placed second with 182.50, while Kira Kimura took third with 181.75.

Meanwhile Paralympic bronze medallist Ben Tudhope is off to a good start in maintaining his 2022 season record of making the podium of every world cup which he contested.

The 2022 Snow Australia ‘Paralympic Athlete of the Year’ and the Paralympics Australia ‘Paralympic Athlete of the Year’ shared on Instagram.