Healey Wins Junior Worlds Gold
YABULI, China (Mar. 10, 2015)—Nora Healey (Plymouth, NH; Waterville Valley/BBTS) won the first gold medal of the 19th FIS Junior World Championships in Yabuli, China in snowboard slopestyle, and Red Gerard (Silverthorne, CO; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) nabbed the Top Rookie Award.
16-year-old Healey led the competition from the start, earning a spot in the qualification round and kept that lead through finals, winning her first Junior World Championships gold medal by a full five points. Finland’s Elli Pikkujamsa and France’s Chloe Sillieres rounded out the podium. Last year’s Junior World Champion Hailee Mattingley (Sandy, UT; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) finished in 11th.
Red Gerard wins the Top Rookie Award in Yabuli, China.
In the men's competition, Gerard—15 years old—won the Top Rookie Award, but missed the podium by .75 points. Gerard finished fourth behind Finland’s Mikko Rehnberg, Carlos Garcia Knight of New Zealand and this year’s FIS Junior World Champion from The Netherlands, Erik Bastiaansen. Chandler Hunt (Park City, UT; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) finished sixth and Chris Corning (Silverthorne, CO; Aspen Valley Snowboard Club) took 10th.
Junior World Championships competition continues with the parallel slalom on March 11.
HIGHLIGHTS
- This is the first time Junior World Championships is being held in China.
- This is the second year in a row that a U.S. woman has won the Junior World Championship slopestyle title.
- Other finishes in the men's slopestyle: Brock Crouch (Carlsbad, CA; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) was 13th and Nathan Jacobson (Bend, OR; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) was 16th.
- Other finishes in the women's slopestyle: Julia Marino (Westport, CT; U.S. Snowboarding Rookie Team) was 13th.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Mar. 11: PSL Finals
Mar. 12: SBX Qualification
Mar. 13: SBX Finals
Mar. 14: SBX Team Event
Mar. 14: Halfpipe Qualification
Mar. 15: Halfpipe Finals