Lesley McKenna has come 11th in the final FIS half-pipe of the year.

Men:
1. BRUNNER, Therry (SUI)
2. MICHAELIS, Jan (GER)
3. MATTILA, Risto (FIN)
4. LUNN, Halvor (NOR)

Women:
1. BYRNES, Tricia (USA)
2. BLEILER, Gretchen (USA)
3. PEDERZOLLI, Nicola (AUT)
4. ALZINA, Cecile (FRA)
11. McKENNA, Lesley (GBR)

Tandadalen (Sweden). With a final at floodlight the last Halfpipe contest of the 2001/2002 Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup was carried out at Tandadalen, Sweden, tonight. Swiss rider Therry Brunner and Tricia Byrnes from the USA claimed the wins while Germany’s Jan Michaelis and Nicola Pederzolli from Austria took the globes in the final Halfpipe ranking.

Therry Brunner from Switzerland had attacked already in the first run and was going big to take the lead. He could not further improve in the second run but his score stood to get him the win. “This has been my first time in Sweden and the pipe was excellent,“ he said. “Also the crowd really made us fly and I think we tried our best to get them something back. That‘s the way it should always be. I wanted to do good here, put in a good show and that’s what I did – I’m so happy.“ Germany’s Jan Michaelis pulled second but the result did not affect his position in the World Cup standings anymore since he had already been safe for the title after his victory last week in Finland. “The season went pretty good for me,“ he said, “and this title probably gets me some money but I believe a single victory in a contest is more important, especially if there are many good riders competing. You can win the World Cup title if you’re consistent throughout the season, maybe even without winning a single competition, but winning a World Cup like Therry now is kind of a nicer feeling. What I’m really happy about is the fact that I’ll get the chrystal globe now which is so nice so I’m glad. Maybe I will change my mind once I have experienced a bit to be the World Cup champion... I’m totally happy with my season, I had qualified for the Olympic final and that thing with my leg was probably good for something – maybe I would have racked myself in the finals... I’ll take some time off and will not touch my board for at least a week...“ Risto Mattila from Finland pulled third today and turned second overall. “It was a bit hard to motivate myself at the end of such a long season,“ he said, “but the night final and the crowd made me feel better and it was really nice to ride. I really enjoyed the contest and I’m happy with my result. Now I’m off to a beach, get some sun and take like two weeks off before going back to Finland, learning some new tricks and enjoying the Finish spring.“ His fellow countryman Antti Autti pulled seventh today but claimed third place in the final World Cup ranking. “My goal was to make it to the finals as often as possible,“ he said, “so being third is more than I expected. I’m not really happy with today’s result but apart from Kreischberg this has been the best pipe this season.“

US rider Tricia Byrnes won the womens‘ contest ahead of her teammate Gretchen Bleiler but none of them had the chance to make it to the final World Cup podium. “I’m a little bit tired of competing now,“ Byrnes said, “raise the level, get stoked. At this night final my run came out so it was fun. This season with the Olympics it has been really difficult to keep your motivation going. It’s always nice to conclude the season with a good result because you kind of pull things together so I’m happy.“ Austria’s Nicola Pederzolli turned third but has been already safe for the Halfpipe title prior to today‘s contest. “That’s just great and I’m happy that I also did a good job here in this last event,“ she said. “However, I’m glad the season’s over now since I’m a little bit tired but it was really fun to ride when so many people came out to watch it. The title shows that I’ve been at a good level all season – I think my worst result was an eighth place – so I’m really happy about the season. Being awarded with this globe is a bit of a consolation for the Olympics, this trophy really is something special.“ Germany’s Sabine Wehr-Hasler went fifth place today but got second overall. “I’m happy to be on the World Cup podium after this nice competition with a great athmosphere,“ she said. “Today I did a backside 540 for the first time this season, it was just a question of lacking amplitude a bit again. If had done like this all season I could have maybe defended my title again and get the hattrick, but I’ll give it another try next season.“ Valerie Bourdier pulled seventh today but confirmed third place in the World Cup ranking. “I’m really happy since I did not expect this at all in the beginning of the season,“ she said. “It’s really time for a break now and I’ll probably stop competing so it’s nice to conclude with a third place in the World Cup.“

The World Cup finals will be concluded tomorrow, Saturday, with the Snowboard Cross and excitement can be expected for that race since the top four riders in both the mens‘ and the womens‘ standings can still win the title. Also, similar to last week in Ruka, some well known names will be on the results again since the French Mathieu Bozzetto and Nicolas Huet as well as Dejan Kosir from Slovenia – just to mention a few – will try to make the podium for the overall title.

[From FIS]

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