Chinese snowboarder Yang Wenlong claims career first world cup gold in Austria

KREISCHBERG -- Chinese snowboarder Yang Wenlong won his first-ever FIS Snowboard Big Air World Cup victory on Saturday night, narrowly edging out Japan's Hasegawa Taiga.

In the men's event, Yang scored a total of 182.5 points, surpassing Hasegawa's 180.25 points to claim gold. Hasegawa's compatriot Kimura Kira rounded out the podium in third place with a score of 168.75.

The competition followed a three-run format, with the best two runs determining the final score. Yang entered the third run trailing Hasegawa by seven points but executed a near-perfect backside 1980 with a Japan grab, earning 96.5 points. Hasegawa attempted to reclaim the lead with another high-difficulty trick but was unsuccessful.

This season's World Cup results are critical for qualification for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. Yang, who had previously claimed bronze at the Beijing World Cup stop, expressed his determination to excel in each event to secure enough points for Olympic qualification.

"Winning a World Cup medal is a dream come true, it motivates me to keep pushing for my ultimate goal - the Winter Olympics," said Yang after the Beijing World Cup stop.

On the women's side, Austrian veteran Anna Gasser, 33-year-old, claimed gold with 167.75 points, followed by Japan's Iwabuchi Reira with 157.75 points and Britain's Mia Brookes in third with 148 points.

"To still be able to keep up with my younger competitors, it's such a great time for me... It's kind of proof that it was right to keep on going, that I'm still on the right path," Anna Gasser said.

China's 18-year-old rising star Zhang Xiaonan finished fourth in her first World Cup final appearance during her debut senior season.