Snowboarding: McKenna grabs fifth

November 5, 2024

British Snowboarder Lesley McKenna kick started her northern hemisphere World Cup season campaign with an encouraging fifth place finish in a half pipe.

McKenna, 9^th in the World Cup standing 2008, has been competing on the Snowboard World Cup Tour since 1998 and has delivered many top five results including six podiums and two world cup victories in women’s half pipe. She recently finished 26^th after a disappointing race in Cardrona, New Zealand.

The LG Fis Snowboard World Cup held in the resort of Saas Fee in Switzerland was won by Chinas Jiayu Liu who convinced among the women with 40,7 points ahead of Japan’s Shiho Nakashmina (39,7) and Sophie Rodriguez from France (38,2.)

This was Liu’s third World Cup success, triumphing in Calgary and Sungwoo last season. The race was won in difficult conditions: three days of steady snowfall meant organisers had to work throughout the night to clear the pipes of excess snow and making it half acceptable for the final.

The next half pipe event will take place in Gujo, Japan on the 15^th January 2009. The last world cup stop here saw China’s, Zhifeng Sun, Japan’s, Soko Yamaoka and Switzerland’s, Manuela Pesko take podium finishes.

Natalie Cooper, Sportsister
The Women’s Sport Magazine

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