Elizabeth Hosking made history as the first Canadian snowboarder to clinch a women’s World Cup halfpipe victory on home turf in Calgary. The 24-year-old athlete from Longueuil, Que., not only secured her inaugural World Cup triumph but also set a remarkable score of 82.5 points on her initial run, ultimately securing the win under the illuminated skies at WinSport’s superpipe.
Expressing her elation, Hosking exclaimed, “This is so, so crazy. To get a World Cup win is insane. Doing it on home soil is such a special feeling.” Despite a fall during her second run, Hosking’s early score held strong. She eagerly awaited the results of the subsequent competitors before joyfully celebrating her achievement by tapping her gloves against her helmet.
Reflecting on the intense competition, Hosking mentioned, “You never know what the girls are going to throw down. For sure, going into that second run, I wanted to better my score to solidify. Unfortunately couldn’t do that, I fell, so going to have to work on that for sure.” Placing third in Calgary the previous year after recovering from a season-ending concussion, she emphasized the importance of building confidence for the upcoming Olympics.
In the women’s halfpipe event, Shaotong Wu of China secured second place with a score of 77.25, while Isabelle Loetscher of Switzerland claimed the third spot with 76 points. Hosking sealed her victory with a front-side 900 maneuver as the final element of her first run down the 160-meter pipe.
Additionally, Australia’s Valentino Guseli emerged victorious in the men’s halfpipe competition, followed by David Habluetzel of Switzerland in second place and Patrick Burgener of Brazil in third. Despite no Canadian men qualifying for the final, Calgary’s Liam Gill achieved the highest Canadian ranking in 17th place.
The event marked the conclusion of Japan’s streak of 30 consecutive men’s World Cup halfpipe podium finishes. Notable absentees from the competition included American star Chloe Kim and previous winners Sena Tomita of Japan and Maddie Mastro of the U.S. Nonetheless, Hosking, who finished sixth in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, expressed her delight at triumphing on home ground amidst the supportive crowd.
Looking ahead, Hosking is set to compete in the upcoming World Cup event in Aspen, Colo., aiming to fine-tune her skills for the impending Olympic Games in Milan and Turin, Italy. Reflecting on the competitive nature of snowboarding, she emphasized the importance of focusing on her own performance rather than comparing herself to others to achieve her best results.
