Beijing 2022 champion Birk Ruud and Tess Ledeux claim season-opening Big Air World Cup victories in Switzerland

ByEurosport

Updated 22/10/2022 at 14:22 GMT

Birk Ruud led from the beginning with a score of 93.00 following a fantastic first jump. His second jump was just as spectacular, as a switch left double 900 bring back moved him further ahead with a score of 95.75. Ledeux scored 93.00 in her first jump and showed her mettle in what was the final run of the day, to secure a total of 181. The season-opening event took place in Churd, Switzerland

Birk Ruud began his season with a victory in Switzerland.

Image credit: Getty Images

Olympic champion Birk Ruud claimed a comfortable freestyle skiing Big Air World Cup victory in Churd, while Beijing silver medallist Tess Ledeux topped the women's standings at the season opener.

Norwegian Ruud had the win sewn up before his third run, his score of 188.75 points more than enough to edge out Canada's Noah Porter MacLennan.

Teenager Porter MacLennan scooped silver on his very first World Cup appearance in Switzerland, finishing just one point above American bronze medallist Troy Podmilsak and home favourite Andri Ragettli who took fourth.

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MacLennan pulled it out of the bag with his final opportunity, scoring 90 to leap from fourth to second with the top score of the round.

Following his victory, Ruud said in quotes published by Olympics.com: "I'm really stoked to do a new version of a pretzel I guess you could call it. I'm really happy to be one of the first in competition to do that manoeuvre. It's a new way to do this trick and it paid off, so it's exciting."

Ledeux, who burst into tears when Eileen Gu snatched gold from her in Beijing, was also a convincing winner as her tally of 181 points proved unbeatable, with Norwegian Sandra Eie taking silver with 170.75, narrowly pushing Swiss star Mathilde Gremaud into third.

"The pressure was so high. I'm just so happy to land my last trick. The feeling is just amazing with all these people at the bottom too," Ledeux told FIS in quotes published by Olympics.com.

Britain's Kirsty Muir, who finished fifth at the Olympic Winter Games in China at the beginning of the year, could only muster a seventh-place finish here.

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