Beijing 2022 champion Birk Ruud and Tess Ledeux claim season-opening Big Air World Cup victories in Switzerland

Olympic champion Birk Ruud claimed a comfortable freestyle skiing Big Air World Cup victory in Churd, while Beijing silver medallist Tess Ledeux topped the women’s standings at the season opener.

Norwegian Ruud had the win sewn up before his third run, his score of 188.75 points more than enough to edge out Canada’s Noah Porter MacLennan.

Teenager Porter MacLennan scooped silver on his very first World Cup appearance in Switzerland, finishing just one point above American bronze medallist Troy Podmilsak and home favourite Andri Ragettli who took fourth.

MacLennan pulled it out of the bag with his final opportunity, scoring 90 to leap from fourth to second with the top score of the round.

Ledeux, who burst into tears when Eileen Gu snatched gold from her in Beijing, was also a convincing winner as her tally of 181 points proved unbeatable, with Norwegian Sandra Eie taking silver with 170.75, narrowly pushing Swiss star Mathilde Gremaud into third.

Britain’s Kirsty Muir, who finished fifth at the Olympic Winter Games in China at the beginning of the year, could only muster a seventh-place finish here.

—