The year 2020 has started with very good news for the Spanish freestyle snowboarder Queralt Castellet. She has won the gold in the Laax Open FIS World Cup in Switzerland, and second place in the FIS halfpipe World Cup after Jiayu Liu.
The athlete started the competition very strong and made a first round of 90 points. She kept the level throughout the competition and last Thursday she got qualified for the final with 89 points, subsequently achieving the victory. Behind her were the Chinese Xuetong Cai and Jiayu Liu who finished in second and third place respectively. With this result on Saturday, Castellet is placed second in the FIS halfpipe circuit.
“Even though Laax is like competing at home for me and that I had managed to qualify in the first position a couple of days ago, I didn’t have them all with me today,” says the one from Sabadell. “Right now, I am in a cloud, I am very happy and excited. The reception has been very exciting since I am the only European competing, so as soon as I won, everyone supported me. This is thanks to the effort and because the conditions of the pipe that were perfect and it was like a dream for me,” she adds.
Who is Queralt Castellet?
Queralt Castellet is a Spanish snowboard athlete. Sht is part of the RFEDI-Spainsnow.
She was born on June 17, 1989 in Sabadell (Spain). His discipline within freestyle is halfpipe snowboarding. With only 16 years, in 2005, she debuted in the FIS World Championship in Chile and, a year later, competed in the Winter Olympics in Italy. From there, she began her career as an athlete in this professional field.
Queralt Castellet is a born fighter. The las years have been somewhat complicated for her. After winning in Kreischberg in 2015 the first runner-up in history for the Spanish snowboarding, the Spanish athlete spent time away from the competition for personal reasons but has become back stronger than ever with very good results. In addition, this year 2020 cannot participate in Snowboard World Cup due to lack of financial resources. She is in negotiations with the RFEDI and possible sponsors to be able to afford the championships.
Why does she success?
The snowboarder knows how to set specific and attainable goals and does not stop fighting for them until they are achieved. Seeing how she does snowboard will not leave you indifferent. She is a combination of impressive results and a very charismatic personality that will conquer you.
Others triumphs of Queralt Castellet
Queralt Castellet has been on the podium of the FIS World Cup on many occasions. She won the women’s halfpipe freestyle modality in the Winter Dew Tour two years in a row (2010 and 2011). The snowboarder also finished in the 3rd position in the same modality in the X European Winter Games of 2011.
In 2012 she was 2nd in the Dew Tour Women’s Snowboard – Superpipe Breckenridge (Colorado, USA), 2nd in High Fives Halfpipe Otago (New Zealand) and 2nd in Snowboard World Championship – Halfpipe Oslo (Norway).
During 2013, she managed to reach the 3rd position in the FIS Snowboard World Cup – Halfpipe Copper Mountain (Colorado, USA).
2014 was the year that she ended up in second place in the Burton U. S. Open – Halfpipe Vail (Colorado, USA) and fifth in the X Games – Halfpipe Aspen (Colorado, USA).
The year 2015 she managed to get 2nd place in the Winter Universiade – Halfpipe Sierra Nevada, Granada (Spain) and finishing in the same place she participated in the FIS Snow World Championship – Halfpipe Kreischberg (Austria).
In 2016, she ended up in third place in the FIS Snowboard World Cup – Big Air Quebec (Canada).
During 2018, she achieved 3rd place in the FIS Snowboard World Cup – Halfpipe Laax (Switzerland) and 1st in the FIS Snowboard World Cup – Halfpipe Snowmass, Aspen (Colorado, USA)
In this last year, in 2019, Queralt was 3rd in the Modified Superipipe of the Dew Tour of Breckenrdige; 2nd in the 2019 Laax Open World Cup in Switzerland and won the silver in the Aspen Games X.
Now her goal is in participating in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games, these being the fifth in which she would participate.
Javi Lliso, a professional Spanish freestyle skier
Javi Lliso, a ski-loving athlete from Madrid trained in Aramón Cerler, has achieved a historic 4th place in the RFEDI freeskier at the FIS slopestyle World Cup in Seiser Alm (Italy).
This Saturday he participated in two rounds of the highest level. In the first one, he scored a score of 80.73 that placed him in 4th position only surpassed by three big names of the freeski. In the second round, Lliso improved his score with some tricks getting 85.03 that gave him authentic podium options.
Norwegian Birk Ruud was the winner with 92.91 points. The second, the Swiss Fabian Boesch with almost identical scoring, touching the cum laude in both rounds, with the best score at 89.78. And the third one was the American Colby Stevenson with 88.08.
Lliso was very excited and commented that he was so happy with “his first World Cup final and this 4th position, just being in this final with all this competition is already incredible and this 4th position … I can’t believe it! “The athlete of the Colmenar Ski Club affirmed that” it is the fifth time that I have competed in the Seiser Alm World Cup, in this snowpark, and I love this place, a perfectly prepared slopestyle, although it is never easy “.
The next competition for the RFEDI team, of which Thibault Magnin is also part, will be in Mamouth Mountain (USA) with another World Cup slopestyle on February 1.
Spanish ski freestyle is developing at an optimal pace. This result of Lliso proves it. In addition, in freestyle there is an evolution of other younger athletes, like in the European Cup where on Saturday 18 Maialen Oiarzabal has been 4th and Alejandro Gomez 16th.
FIS next championships
- FIS Mammoth Mt. World Cup (California, USA) from January 29 to February 1
- FIS World Cup Calgary (Alberta, CAN) February 13-15
- Spanish Movistar Championships (Baqueira Beret) 29 March
