Yang Wenlong seals gold at FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup stop in Austria, calls it ‘a dream come true’
Rising star Yang Wenlong targeted a place in the China squad for the Winter Olympics next year after his first FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup triumph on Saturday.
Yang finished just ahead of Taiga Hasegawa, the reigning world champion from Japan, to take the gold medal in Kreischberg, Austria. He scored a total of 182.5 points, bettering Hasegawa’s 180.25, with Hasegawa’s compatriot Kira Kimura completing the podium on a score of 168.75.
The event followed a three-run format, with the best two runs from each contender determining their final score.
Beginning the third run trailing Hasegawa by seven points, the 25-year-old Yang earned 96.5 points by performing a near-perfect backside 1980 with a Japan grab. Hasegawa then tried to take back the advantage with another high-difficulty trick, but could not pull it off.
The result boosted Yang’s chances of making it to the 2026 Winter Games, which will take place in Milan, Italy. This season’s World Cup events are critical for qualification places.
Yang said booking a ticket to Milan was at the top of his wish list after he won bronze at the Beijing leg of the World Cup six weeks previously.
