Kiwi wins medal at snowboard world champs

Iain McGregor/The Press

Rebecca Sinclair from Wanaka won a silver medal at the FIS Junior World Championships 2010, Cardrona, Wanaka.

Iain McGregor/The Press

Rebecca Sinclair from Wanaka won a silver medal at the FIS Junior World Championships 2010, Cardrona, Wanaka.

Relevant offers

Wanaka woman Rebecca Sinclair won a silver medal for New Zealand in the women's halfpipe final at the 
junior snowboard and freestyle world championships at Wanaka today.

Sinclair, 18, thrust herself into medals contention by scoring seven on her second jump before holding on to second place behind Slovenia's Cilka Sadar.

Sadar, also 18, dominated the final with an overall score of 37.8, ahead of Sinclair on 31.7 and Japan's Haruna Matsumoto on 31.4.

Sinclair, who had earlier finished third in the semifinal, excelled despite battling an ankle injury.

``I wasn't even expecting to be able to compete with my injured ankle,'' she said. 

``But it's all strapped up. I've been struggling with landing the crippler all week and I'm stoked I pulled it off in my second run.''

The men's final was won by highly impressive 14-year-old Taku Hiraoka, of Japan, who posted a score of 44.2, ahead of Australian silver medallist Nathan Johnstone on 42.2, with Italian Manuel Pietropoli third on 39.8.

Among the 12 finalists was New Zealand's Ben Stewart, who finished ninth with a score of 32.3. 

Leading halfpipe results:-

Men: Taku Hiraoka (Japan) 44.2 1, Nathan Johnstone (Australia) 42.2 2, Manuel Pietropoli (Italy) 39.8 3. Also: Ben Stewart (NZ) 32.3 9.

Women: Cilka Sadar (Slovenia) 37.8 1, Rebecca Sinclair (NZ) 31.7 2, Haruna Matsumoto (Japan) 31.4 3.

- NZPA