Swiss ski cross pair clinch mixed team gold and Tsubaki wins parallel slalom at freestyle worlds

By Canadian Press on March 22, 2025.

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss duo Ryan Regez and Fanny Smith followed up their individual golds with a victory in the ski cross mixed team finals at the Freestyle world championships Saturday.

Miki Tsubaki of Japan then turned the tables on Ester Ledecka by beating her in the women’s parallel slalom final.

Regez and Smith were favorites for the team final, where the men start first and the women then set off in staggered order in accordance to where the men placed.

France had two teams going for gold with Youri Duplessis Kergomard and veteran Marielle Berger Sabbatel in France 1 with Melvin Tchiknavorian and Jade Grillet-Aubert in France 2. Italy was the other contender.

Duplessis Kergomard led for most of the men’s run ahead of Tchiknavorian but they almost collided heading into the final corner. Regez was just behind and overtook them both, then composed himself on the final jump to put the Swiss in pole position.

Smith did the rest in style, leading from start to finish and then laying on the snow to take in the win. The 32-year-old Smith had also won individual gold at the 2013 worlds.

Tchiknavorian and Grillet-Aubert got the silver medal with the Italian pair of Yanick Gunsch and Jole Galli taking the bronze.

Tsubaki beats Ledecka this time

Ledecka had beaten the defending champion Tsubaki in the parallel giant slalom final Thursday, adding another trophy for her first snowboard world title in eight years. She is also a standout Alpine skier in downhill and super-G.

Dutchwoman Michelle Dekker won the bronze medal over Aleksandra Krol-Walas of Poland, who missed out on another medal after placing third in the giant slalom.

Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov, who is 20, won the men’s title by defeating Austrian Arvid Auner in the final.

Italian veteran Aaron March won the bronze medal.

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The Associated Press