Sat, 03/13/2010 - 9:19pmIouri Podladtchikov Wins Snowboard SuperPipe Gold

Switzerland’s Iouri Podladtchikov returned from Winter X Games 14 with a silver medal, a fourth place finish from the Olympics in Vancouver, and can now add gold to that list from his win today at Winter X Games Europe.

France’s Mathieu Crepel, who finished tenth at the Vancouver Olympics, was close behind to land the silver.
 
“The Double McTwist 1260 is a trick I started training for last week,” Podladtchikov said about a trick that won him the competition. “After the Olympics, I took one week off to rest, and started to practice the McTwist, so landing it tonight was a gift.”

 
Crepel was at the top of his progression in 2007 where he landed the first ever frontside 1260 in Big Air history, and he pulled it out again in tonight’s final.  USA’s Louie Vito took home the bronze with the first ever double cork 1080 done three times in a row, it's the first time three back-to-back doubles have been done and Louie did seem a little surprised that it didn't score higher in the comp. In the press conference he was diplomatic,"I was really happy I landed that run and thought I might do a little better, but I can't control how they score."

From an outside perspective the amplitude of tricks quite possibly played a major factor, where Vito's run was outstandingly technical, it lacked the sheer boost of both Crepel's and Podladtchikov's. On what to expect next year, Vito actually favoured a return to the big and solid style of a few years ago rather than the insanely technical double corks that are spreading like wild fire right now, big old alley-oops, like Heiki Sorsa of the 2002 Olympics to be precise.

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