Snowboarder Tim Mastnak wins giant slalom World Cup
Zurich, 9 March - Slovenian snowboarder Tim Mastnak has won the overall World Cup standings in the parallel giant slalom after placing sixth in a race in Scuol, Switzerland on Saturday.
Maribor
Slovenian snowboarder Tim Mastnak.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
The 27-year old won in an exciting season that produced eight different winners in nine races; Mastnak was the only one to have won twice.
A single win today in any of the pairings was enough for Mastnak to secure the small crystal globe, and he achieved that beating the Italian Mirko Felicetti in the round of 16.
Mastnak said he had felt some pressure due to the likelihood that he might win the small crystal globe, which made the race completely different than the other races this season.
"My main task was to be composed and focus on the ride. I think I succeeded, I'm very pleased with my performance," he said.
The achievement marks a career highlight for Mastnak, who had only two podium finishes before this season, and comes almost exactly a month after he won silver at the Snowboard World Championships.
"Being the best in the season means more to me than the World Championship result, that was just one race," he said.
Looking ahead, Mastnak thinks he has got much more to show. "I'm making headway every season, I am confident than in the future I can win the overall World Cup," he said.