It was another successful day for the British Freestyle Snowboard Team yesterday as Ben Kilner and Dom Harington dropped into the pipe at the third Olympic qualifying World Cup event.
Ben put down a solid run in his first heat which saw him qualify in 10th place and progress through to a 12 man semi final. There he was up against the some of the best riders in the world, with king Shaun even making an appearance. Turns out that Ben had to drop in straight after him, which can’t be easy for anyone, ever. Still, he managed to hold his nerves and put down another stormer of a run that included, what his coach Hamish McKnight reckons was probably his highest backside air ever, to land himself a place in tomorrow’s 12 man final. An incredible result! Ben will be riding as only one of two Europeans in an incredibly US-heavy field, with the likes of Shaun White, Louie Vito, Scotty Lago, Greg Bretz and Luke Mitrani all set to drop in as well. Louie is currently in the top spot but expect some serious competition from the others – not mentioning anyone in particular…
Dom Harington was drawn against the very same incredibly tough field in his initial heat with Shaun, Lago and Mitrani all looking formidable and in the end, his run, which included two cab double corks and two frontside 1080s, was only enough for 23rd place (38th overall). It’s still an excellent result for both of our lads and gets them more points to add to their rankings.
We’ll be keeping you posted on what goes down in the finals tomorrow. Send it Ben!