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Gasser and Kleveland secure slopestyle victories in Silvaplana

Anna Gasser and Marcus Kleveland excelled in the final event of the FIS Snowboard World Cup as they both secured slopestyle victories in Silvaplana, Switzerland.

Heading into the event, Gasser was looking to secure her fourth-straight World Cup podium of the 2021/22 season. The Austrian had finished second in big air events in Chur (Switzerland) and Steamboat (USA), as well as being the runner-up in the slopestyle event at the Laax Open.

The 30-year-old secured her place in the top-eight with a score of 84.00 on Friday and went into Sunday’s final hoping to win a slopestyle event for just the third time in her career.

Gasser, a two-time Olympic champion in big air, then laid down a near-perfect second run to score 95.40 to secure an emphatic victory, finishing ahead of Canada’s Laurie Blouin (90.20) and Kokomo Murase (87.20) from Japan.

Anna Gasser performs during Laax Open Wolrd Cup in Laax, Switzerland on January 14, 2022. Credit: Lorenz Richard / Red Bull Content Pool

The victory saw Gasser finish sixth in the slopestyle rankings, despite only entering two of six events, and end the season in second place overall. Murase added the slopestyle title to the freestyle crystal globe that she had already secured.

In the men’s event, Kleveland was looking for some redemption after failing to secure a single podium this season. The Norwegian had good memories of competing in Switzerland, having secured the slopestyle title with victory in Silvaplana in 2021.

Having finished third in qualifying on Friday, Kleveland struggled during his first run on Sunday as he found himself in eighth place. He then produced a stunning second run to earn a score of 91.60 and claim victory, finishing ahead of compatriot Mons Roisland (90.20) and Valentino Guseli (89.40) of New Zealand.

In the final event of the FIS Freeski Slopestyle World Cup season on Saturday, Mac Forehand finished second in Silvaplana thanks to a score of 91.75 in his first attempt. The helped the American finish third in the overall slopestyle standings.

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