Radoslav Yankov (BUL), photo © SKI.BG
. world snowboard news : Radoslav Yankov, this season's shooting star from Bulgaria is ready to write history - 04 March 2016 - 11:03
It's all about the Crystal Globes this coming Sunday
ALPINE SNOWBOARD, PSL. The alpine snowboard World Cup tour will come to a close this Sunday, March 6th, with the 2015-16 season's last parallel slalom taking place in Winterberg, Germany.
And with some tight battles in the races for four different titles on hand, the World Cup finals staged on the Poppenberg slope are expected to be as exciting as last year when the ski resort in the Hochsauerland region celebrated its return as World Cup host after a break of nine years.
But other than last year, FIS Officials and Local Organisers have added some spice to the 350 metres long course.
A 60cm high pro jump built at the transition from the flat into the steeper home straight will bring some more thrill to the head-to-head duels which will decide who will take home the Crystal Globe for the psl as well as overall alpine World Cup title.
In the women's discipline's ranking, 2014 Olympic pgs champion Patrizia Kummer (SUI, 2,450) has a comfortable lead on Ekaterina Tudegesheva (RUS, 1,760) of 690 points. As a result, moving to Sunday's quarter finals would guarantee the Swiss racer her seventh career title.
In contrary, the race for the overall title will bring a battle of three with this season's pgs title winner Ester Ledecka (CZE), who is currently in the lead with 3,390 points, trying to hold off Tudegesheva (2,960) and Kummer (2,760).
In the men's event, reigning world champion Roland Fischnaller who won the last parallel slalom in Moscow, Russia end of January is in front with 2,060 points and therefore close to his career's second since 2013.
His young teammate Mirko Felicetti (1,600) is close behind with Radoslav Yankov (BUL, 1,490) already 570 points back of Fischnaller.
This season's shooting star from Bulgaria is ready to write history
Being able to become the first ever snowboarder bringing home a snowboard World Cup title, the 26-year-old Radoslav Yankov from Chepelare needs a sixth rank finish to secure the big Crystal Globe unaided having accumulated a total of 3,290 points already.
Radoslav Yankov (BUL), photo © SKI.BG
If he doesn't make it to the top-6, the door would open for Fischnaller (2,620) to pass Yankov in the final race.
Right now, the Italian veteran is 670 points behind but needs at least a second rank finish to keep the mathematical odds and the chance to win the overall alpine snowboard World Cup title.
Nevertheless, Yankov should be warned as Fischnaller came out successful of last year's race on the Poppenberg slope.
Time schedule
Qualifiers for the 2015-16 alpine snowboard World Cup tour's season finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 6th, 2016, at 10 AM CET with the finals slated for 1:45 PM CET.
FIS snowboard
03 March 2016 15:45