Daniele Bagozza in his last race of the season in Winterberg. © Miha Matavz

In the last race: the ball slips out of Bagozza's hand

It just wasn't meant to be: the Val Gardena snowboard ace Daniele Bagozza bitterly gave up first place in the parallel slalom World Cup. And that in the very last race of the season.

March 09, 2024

From: fop

Bagozza was so close to his first crystal ball, going into the final parallel slalom in Winterberg with a lead of 27 points over the South Korean Sangho Lee and 33 points over the Austrian Arvid Auner.

The season finale in Sauerland, Germany, turned into a nightmare for the 28-year-old from Ortisei. With his 19th time he failed to qualify, just like the Austrian overall World Cup winner Benjamin Karl (17th). So Bagozza had to watch idly as Lee drove to World Cup victory late in the afternoon and thus snatched the ball away from him at the last minute. Bagozza has to settle for second place in the discipline rankings, while his teammate Maurizio Bormolini pushed him out of third place in the overall World Cup.

Sangho Lee won the final victory in the parallel slalom World Cup. © Miha Matavz

Even if this day is an enormously bitter one for Bagozza, the realization remains that last winter he definitely reached the top of the snowboard world. He achieved three World Cup victories and stood on an individual podium a total of four times - more often than ever before in his career.

Bormolini and Dalmasso on the podium

Bormolini finished third on the podium in Winterberg. Roland Filehner made it to the quarter-finals and ended up in sixth place, Edwin Coratti (10th) and Aaron March (16th) failed in the round of XNUMX.

In the women's category, third-placed Lucia Dalmasso, an Italian, was also on the podium. The victory went to world-class skier Ester Ledecka, who won all three of her races this winter in the Snowboard World Cup. The German Ramona Hofmeister took the slalom ball.

The World Cup season for Alpine snowboarders will conclude on Sunday with a team event.

Parallel Slalom World Cup in Winterberg (GER):

Men

Women