FIS Snowboard World Championships: Domination for China and Anticipation for the Winter Paralympics at the Big White Resort, Canada
- Roberta Collyer
- Mar 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 27
Earlier this month, the Snowboard World Championships returned to the Big White Ski Resort’s TELUS Park from the 4th-10th of March, celebrating over a decade of the resort’s commitment to adaptive snowboarding.
A demanding 23-banked Slalom course, a new mixed-team event and perfect weather conditions made for an unforgettable week of competition. On the 5th of March, 68 athletes competed in the qualification rounds, vying for a spot in the finals, where 15 medals were at stake across five categories. A new competition format, introduced this season, saw riders complete two qualification runs, rather than three. The top four fastest advanced to head-to-head heats, with the fastest seed facing the fourth and the second seed taking on the third. The winners move on to the grand finale, while the remaining two competed in the small final for third place. This year’s contest also introduced a significant first – the debut of the mixed team Snowboard Cross event. This new format foreshadows the possible growth and development of para snowboarding and could be a potential event to watch out for at future Paralympics.
Para snowboarding features two predominant events and consists of three classification categories. It is also the latest sport added to the Winter Paralympic Games program, debuting at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.
Snowboard Cross is an exciting and fast-paced event. The finals consist of competitors racing head-to-head to win. The course is usually very similar to able-bodied Snowboard Cross events, with minor modifications made to the terrain features. Banked Slalom is almost identical to the able-bodied equivalent. Each athlete competes two runs down the course, with their best run determining the final order based on ascending time. There is only one rider at a time on the course.
Para snowboarding currently only consists of three classifications. The sport is under development, and with its imminent growth, the classification system will be refined gradually. The SB-LL1 category includes Snowboarders with a significant impairment in one leg or a significant combined impairment in both legs. Athletes with amputations can use prostheses during the races. Alternatively, snowboarders with an impairment in one or two legs but with less activity limitation would fall into SB-LL2. SB-UL snowboarders have an impairment of the upper limbs.
China delivered a dominant performance, securing an effortless overall victory and excelling across multiple events as the top-performing nation. Lijia Ji led China’s medal haul, winning gold in the Banked Slalom and Snowboard Cross events in the men’s SB-UL category. China’s success at this competition is perhaps unsurprising, considering their previous domination of the medal table at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Overall, the Chinese Para snowboarders claimed 10 medals at Big White. However, thanks to standout performances from Monika Kotzian and Anna Drobna, Poland secured an impressive third place in the overall standings with four medals, including one world title.
Women’s Banked Slalom:
The Women’s Lower Limb (LL) category saw a high-profile quarterfinal matchup between discipline globe winner Cécile Hernandez (FRA) and Brenna Huckaby Clegg (USA), with Hernandez setting the fastest time on the stage. Hernandez then faced Lisa Bunschoten (NED), who had eliminated Eri Sakashita (JPN). The Dutch rider gained momentum, securing a spot in the final with a 1.09-second lead over Hernandez, dashing the Frenchwoman’s hopes of adding a Banked Slalom world title to her discipline globe. Tiantian Li (CHN) delivered a flawless performance, dominating her quarterfinal before edging past compatriot Nianjia Hu in a nail-biting semifinal by just 0.29 seconds. In the final, she clinched gold over Bunschoten with the fastest time of the day in the Women’s LL category. Meanwhile, Hernandez rebounded in the small final to secure the bronze medal.
In the Women’s Upper Limb (UL) category, Monika Kotzian (POL), the fastest qualifier, sailed through the semifinals against Darian Haynes (USA), while Irati Idiakez Lopez (ESP) defeated Anna Drobna (POL). Despite being a second slower than in her semifinal, Kotzian claimed victory, capitalising on Idiakez Lopez’s fall on her final run. Haynes was disqualified in the small final, securing Drobna her first World Championships bronze medal.
Men’s Banked Slalom:
There was more success to come for China in the Men’s Upper Limb (UL) Banked Slalom event. Six of the eight finalists in the category were Chinese, but Swiss rider Aron Fahrni remarkably held his ground, eliminating Yonggang Zhu (CHN) in the quarters and Jian Yang (CHN) in the semifinals to take home the silver medal. However, Lijia Ji continued to improve his times, delivering the fastest run of the day (01:05.05) in the final to secure gold. Yang triumphed in the all-Chinese small final to claim bronze.
Chris Vos (NED), inspired by his wife, Lisa Bunschoten, delivered an impressive performance to claim silver in the Men’s LL1 category. He battled past Daichi Oguri (JPN) in the quarterfinals and overcame discipline globe winner Noah Elliott (USA) in the semifinals before falling to Junta Kosuda (JPN) in the final. The small final saw Elliott and his American teammate Mike Schultz clock the fastest times of the day, with Elliott securing bronze.
Emmanuel Perathoner (FRA) was certainly a name to be remembered from this year’s World Championships, unbeatable in the LL2 category from start to finish. The Italian rider, who has previously won gold and silver at the 2023 Worlds in La Molina, Spain, topped the podium twice in Big White. In Banked Slalom, he defeated Takahito Ichikawa in the quarters, Zach Miller in the semis, and Qi Sun in the final, each time with several seconds to spare—making him the fastest rider across all categories.
Women’s Snowboard Cross:
Irati Idiakez Lopez rebounded from her Banked Slalom final fall to secure gold in the Women’s UL Snowboard Cross, beating Monika Kotzian and Anna Drobna, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
The Women’s LL category saw fierce battles, with Brenna Huckaby Clegg (USA) and Kate Delson (USA) advancing to the final alongside Cécile Hernandez (FRA) and Nianjia Hu (CHN). Hernandez took an early lead, with Clegg in pursuit, but Hu lost balance and collided with Clegg, slowing her down and allowing Hernandez and Delson to pull ahead. The French rider held her composure to secure gold, followed by Delson and Clegg.
Men’s Snowboard Cross :
Perathoner continued his impressive winning streak in the snowboard LL2 cross event, winning every heat to secure his second World Championship title in Canada. China’s Sun Qi claimed silver, and Australia’s Ben Tudhope took bronze.
Perathoner described his race and subsequent emotions;
“In the final run, I was thinking about my Chinese opponent because he was way faster at the start. I tried to get ahead, but he dropped first again and was first on bank one, so I had to fight for it. I knew I was faster in the lower section, so I stayed relaxed.”
“It feels amazing!” Perathoner said. “Two years ago, I made a mistake in the Snowboard Cross, so I wanted this gold medal so badly. Finally, I got it, and I’m super happy!”
The Men’s LL1 featured a confident Tyler Turner, competing on home soil, fresh off his second consecutive discipline globe win. He stormed through the semifinals and held off overall globe winner Noah Elliott (USA) in the final, with Daichi Oguri (JPN) taking bronze.
China continued to dominate Men’s UL, with five athletes in the semifinals. Lijia Ji, already crowned Banked Slalom champion, completed a golden double by winning ahead of teammates Pengyao Wang (silver) and Yonggang Zhu (bronze). Maxime Montaggioni (FRA) was the only non-Chinese athlete in the final but finished off the podium.
Snowboard Cross – Mixed Teams:
The World Championships wrapped up with the debut of the Snowboard Cross Mixed Team event, featuring ten teams consisting of one female and one male rider. China and the USA each entered two teams, all of which advanced to the finals. In the first semifinal, Kate Delson and Noah Elliott (USA) took the win ahead of Tiantian Li and Lijia Ji (CHN). Meanwhile, Cécile Hernandez and Maxime Montaggioni (FRA), along with Xinyu Wang and Qi Sun (CHN), posted the fastest times in the second semifinal. In a thrilling final, France held off strong competition from China, with Hernandez and Montaggioni claiming gold. Wang and Sun secured silver, while Li and Ji rounded out the podium with bronze.
Big White and the future of Para snowboarding:
Since 2012, Big White has been at the forefront of para snowboarding, continually supporting and advancing the sport. The resort has hosted multiple World Cup and World Championship events, investing in both athlete development and competition infrastructure.
"Big White stepped up to support para snowboarding back in 2012 and hasn’t looked back," stated Flynn Seddon, director of terrain parks and outdoor events at Big White. "Athletes worldwide recognize that commitment when they compete here— and they love it."
This dedication goes beyond just competition. Through a strong partnership with BC Snowboard and Canada Snowboard, Big White remains committed to fostering both amateur and para-sport development.
Full results of the World Championships can be found here: https://www.fis-ski.com/DB/general/event-details.html?sectorcode=PSB&eventid=56050&seasoncode=2025&racecodex=0025.
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