Jacobellis and Mancari Team Up For World Cup Win
SOLITUDE, UT (Jan. 22, 2017) – American snowboardcross athletes continued their successful run on home soil Sunday at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix at Solitude Mountain Resort. In Sunday's team event, Rosie Mancari (Anchorage, AK) and Lindsey Jacobellis (Stowe, VT) took the win for the ladies, while Alex Deibold (Boulder, CO) and Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) combined to take third place for the men.
The snowy conditions that plagued Saturday’s event moved out of the area and the course stayed relatively clear of snow overnight, which made conditions much faster for Sunday’s team event.
Jacobellis and Mancari combined fast speeds and strategies to take the win for the U.S. “Last run was fighting the whole way down,” Jacobellis said after the race. “We were all really close and I was just trying to take away lines and options and slow down the girls so that Rosie did not have to fight through the pack.”
All the U.S. athletes were happy to be in the States, competing in a World Cup on home soil. “I can’t even really put words to (how it feels to win on home soil),” Mancari noted. “My mom is here watching for her first race ever so it’s really awesome. This is my first race in the U.S. that’s a World Cup, so the whole atmosphere and community is amazing. I see 100 people and they all want to give me hugs - it’s amazing.”
Mancari fought hard to hold off France’s Nelly Moenne Loccoz, who took second with teammate Chloe Trespeuch. Italy 1 team Raffaella Brutto and Michela Moioli rounded out the podium in third.
For the men, Deibold took the lead early on, but had a bobble down the course that left Holland fighting from behind. “I think our finish today could be pretty squarely put on my shoulders,” Deibold said of their third-place result. “Nate was definitely the fastest guy out there. I had the lead, I was trying to protect my line and I just unfortunately made a small bobble and it cost us.”
Nate Holland (right) teamed up with Alex Deibold to finish third in Sunday’s team snowboardcross World Cup at Solitude Mountain Resort. (USSA)
Holland did make a great effort to get the American team on the podium. “All the gates dropped, I was off the back, I just pinned it as hard as I could,” he said. “I know I’m pretty fast on this course and in these conditions I think I’m the fastest… I made a strong push, made up a lot of ground, but it wasn’t enough for the win today.”
Reigning world champion Luca Matteotti and his teammate Emanuel Perathoner of Italy took the win for the men, while Austrian team of Julian Lueftner and Lukas Pachner were second.
Also making the final brackets for the U.S. in team snowboardcross at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix: Colleen Healey (Incline Village, NV) and Faye Gulini (Salt Lake City, UT) were seventh; Hagan Kearney (Telluride, CO) and Robert Minghini (Snowshoe, WV) were seventh; Katie Wilson (Mequon, MI) and Danielle Steinhoff (Colfax, CA) were eighth.
Solitude is an elite venue for both the 2017 Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and the 2019 World Championships. This week’s event was the first international event staged at the Utah resort and served as the official test event for the World Championships.
The snowboardcross athletes will next travel to Bansko, Bulgaria for a World Cup event Feb. 2-5.
HIGHLGHTS
- Rosie Mancari and Lindsey Jacobellis took the win for the women.
- Alex Deibold and Nate Holland were third for the men.
- The snowboardcross athletes will next travel to Bansko, Bulgaria for a World Cup event Feb. 2-5.
QUOTES
Lindsey Jacobellis
Today was really awesome. My legs weren’t as tired as I thought they would be, which was cool. Rosie and I took some training runs and I was training with Seth, just trying to get my legs back under me. Last run was fighting the whole way down—we were all really close and I was just trying to take away lines and options and slow down the girls so that Rosie did not have to fight through the pack and just give her the best chance to hold the lead.
Rosie Mancari
I did the team event with Lindsey in Montafon my first time and she was kind of the anchor in that one. We decided to switch it up this time and have her try to get the lead for me, so I could do my thing coming down and try to hold the lead and it worked out. I can’t even really put words to (how it feels to win on home soil). My mom is here watching for her first race ever so it’s really awesome. This is my first race in the U.S. that’s a World Cup so the whole atmosphere and community is amazing—I see 100 people and they all want to give me hugs—it’s amazing.
Alex Deibold
Racing as a team is really something special - it’s a unique experience for us both on the highs and the lows. I think our finish today could be pretty squarely put on my shoulders; Nate was definitely the fastest guy out there. I had the lead, I was trying to protect my line and I just unfortunately made a small bobble and it cost us. It’s pretty amazing to watch Nate do his thing—I’m pretty psyched; it’s the first time we’ve been paired up. Again, we would like to get that win but it’s good to finish on the podium.
Nate Holland
I knew that Deibold had gone down, and right after I got that call I got the 10-second call. That’s just when you just go into straight boardercross mode. All the gates dropped, I was off the back, I just pinned it as hard as I could. I know I’m pretty fast on this course and in these conditions I think I’m the fastest. I love to head hunt—I love to hunt people down and make passes so I just pinned it, made up a bunch of ground on them. There was a little contact, one guy went down and I thought that was my chance to capitalize on it and go for the win. But those two riders were covered and I made a strong push, made up a lot of ground, but it wasn’t enough for the win today. I’m happy with third. It’s the first race that my daughter was able to watch me race at. Having her show up when I was wearing the No. 1 bib for the individual race and then team No. 1 for USA—anything else would be embarrassing.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Saturday, Jan. 28
1:00 p.m. EST - team snowboardcross and skicross (NBC)
