Big Air

Gasser and Millauer in fifth place in Klagenfurt

Anna Gasser and Clemens Millauer(Bild: GEPA)

Local heroes Anna Gasser and Clemens Millauer missed out on the podium on Sunday at the Big Air Snowboard World Cup in Klagenfurt's Wörthersee Stadium with fifth places.

Two-time Olympic and world champion Gasser was three points off the top three after three final runs with 163.75 points, while Millauer was 11.25 points off the podium with 160.75 points. The winners were Mia Brookes from Great Britain (184.25) and Taiga Hasegawa from Japan (179.75).

Anna Gasser(Bild: GEPA)

Gasser came fourth in Friday's qualifying, in which she failed to make the podium in the Big Air for only the second time ever. The first time was last October in Chur, when the Carinthian was eliminated in the qualification. At the beginning of December, the 33-year-old followed this up with third place in Beijing. This time she was in second place after run one, took a more defensive approach in the second heat and ultimately crashed in a Cab Triple 1260 as the attempt was a little too short.

Clemens Millauer(Bild: GEPA)

Gasser announces revenge on the Kreischberg
The fan favorite was delighted with the mood and atmosphere in the arena and satisfied with fifth place. "Of course it's a shame, because if I had stood on the last jump, I would have been on the podium," admitted Gasser. "But the three girls on the podium fully deserved it. I will try to make life harder for them on the Kreischberg. Then hopefully I'll get my last trick." She was referring to the next home World Cup scheduled for next weekend. The qualification starts on Thursday.

Mia Brookes(Bild: GEPA)

Millauer had been cheering Gasser on. "I was so annoyed," he said. The 30-year-old was happy about his own performance on ORF, saying that he had managed to pull off two tricks. "I know what I have to work on, that maybe it will go further at some point. Our sport is still getting younger and more professional," Millauer also addressed the fact that nobody in the final fields was older than him and Gasser.

Taiga Hasegawa(Bild: GEPA)

Slopestyle world champion Brookes landed her second World Cup victory ever and in a row with a two-point lead, as the 17-year-old left the Japanese women who had been ahead in qualifying behind her. Mari Fukada and Momo Suzuki finished second and third respectively. The 19-year-old Hasegawa finished 4.5 points ahead of the Italian Ian Matteoli, with the Norwegian Oyvind Kirkhus in third. Eric Dovjak was the second Austrian to be eliminated in qualifying.