In a weekend of thrilling competition at the Snowboard Cross World Cup in Beidahu, China, Jindabyne’s Josie Baff emerged as a shining beacon of skill clinching silver.
The achievement marks the second silver of Baff’s season and elevates her to her eleventh career podium finish.
Following a commendable fifth-place finish in the first event after a victory in the small final, Baff returned with unmatched fervor on the second day. She set the tone early by winning her opening quarter-final heat in impressive fashion.
The semi-final was intense, with fierce competition from Italy’s Michaela Moioli and France’s Manon Petit Lenoir. Moioli took the lead midway, but Baff showed her resilience, clinching second place over Petit Lenoir by just 0.03 seconds to advance to the big-final medal round.
In the grand final, Great Britain’s Charlotte Bankes took the win, leading from start to finish. Baff, however, showed her mettle by outperforming Swiss competitor Sina Siegenthaler by 0.07 seconds to seize the silver medal, with Moioli finishing fourth.
PHOTO: Josie Baff, Charlotte Bankes, Sina Siegenthaler CREDIT: Miha Matavz
Reflecting on her achievement, 22 year old Baff expressed her hunger for victory, saying, “It’s definitely nice after yesterday… I had some fire in my belly, it was a good result, but I wanted more.”
After three World Cup events, Baff is in third place in the women’s standings, with the next event set for February 15 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.