Guseli Creates History with Big Air Win

Teen snowboard prodigy and NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder Valentino Guseli has created history, becoming the first Australian to win a World Cup big air event in Edmonton, Canada. At 17 years of age, the victory also makes him the youngest ever male to win World Cup gold for Australia in any discipline.

Valentino is now amazingly the only three discipline star at open age level, having won medals in the big air and slopestyle disciplines and placing sixth in the halfpipe at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Competing in the city event at Commonwealth Stadium in downtown Edmonton, Valentino placed fourth in qualifying to advance to the semi-final round and secure a place in the final with a best of three two jump combined score of 148.50 points.

In the final, Valentino had trouble landing his first jump, a backside triple cork, but recovered in his second run to land an outrageously stylish, clean frontside double cork 1440 that earned him 85.50 points and a shot at the podium if he could produce another high scoring third final jump.

For his final jump, Valentino had another attempt at his backside triple cork 1620, this time stomping the landing to earn a score of 87 points and a combined score of 172.50.

His score was enough to narrowly edge out Chris Corning from the USA by half a point while Canadian Nicolas Laframboise took third with 168 points.

“Oh my goodness, I am so hyped right now” Valentino said who hails from Dalmeny on the NSW South Coast.

“I woke up this morning and was just really hoping that I could put my tricks down today, and now I am just so relieved and happy.”

“It’s been a long and very bumpy road the last three years trying to work my way to some podiums and I have finally got a win, and I am so hyped, I am hoping to just keep it rolling to the next comps.”

“Thankyou to everyone that’s helped me up to this point.”

Valentino will now head to Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, USA, for another big air event and the opening halfpipe World Cup competition of the season.

Article courtesy of the OWIA