VIDEO Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin – Snowboard Cross WORLD CHAMPION

January 19th, 2011

Snowboard Cross

Alex ‘Chumpy’ Pullin from Mansfield, Victoria became Australia’s latest World Champion in La Molina, Spain on Tuesday, winning the 2011 Snowboard Cross World Championships, claiming his first ever major title and in the process beating out two of the sports biggest superstars – 2010 Olympic gold medalist Seth Wesott (second) and five times X Games champion Nate Holland (third).

“I’m so stoked,” The 23 year old is quoted on fissnowboard.com. “I hope this is a boost for all the kids back home thus building up a strong team for the future.

“I was able to bring in the best I can. Man, everyone was able to win this. Everyone was hungry for the title. It’s just amazing that I did it.”

Sitting in fourth place following the time trial qualifying heats, Chumpy fought his way through the rounds to line-up in the big final against Wescott, Holland and Italy’s Luca Matteotti. A perfect start set him up for the race and he was able to maintain his lead over Wescott all the way to the finish line.

The Mt Buller rider is a rising force in Snowboard Cross, earning a spot on four of the last five World Cup Podiums and finishing overall second in the 2009-2010 World Cup rankings. At the Vancouver Winter Olympics in February 2010 he entered the finals rounds as the fastest qualifier but caught an edge in the first race and crashed out of the competition.

Chumpy will now undoubtedly be focused on Winter X Games, which begins 28 January in Aspen, Colorado where he’ll certainly be one of the hot favourites to take the win and become the second Australian snowboarder to win a medal at the X-Games after halfpipe rider Torah Bright.