SNOWBOARD CROSS STAR GILLINGS FINISHES ON PODIUM

IN WORLD CUP RACE IN AUSTRIA

Zoe Gillings, Britain’s best hope for gold on the snow at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, recorded her first World Cup podium finish of the season in this afternoon’s (Sunday 11th January) snowboard cross event in Bad Gastein, Austria, ahead of this week’s World Snowboarding Championships.

Putting a disappointing run in Saturday’s night racing under floodlights behind her - she finished 13th overall after being pushed off course in the quarter-finals - Gillings improved dramatically to come home third in today’s race, behind Lindsay Jacobellis of the USA and Canada’s Dominique Maltais.

The Isle of Man athlete started the final as the fourth fastest qualifier, and made up ground in the closing stages to snatch third ahead of Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria. The result means Gillings advances one place to sixth in the World Cup standings ahead of the World Snowboarding Championships which start in Gangwon, Korea, on Thursday. Already this season Gillings has finished fourth in Argentina, sixth in Arosa, Switzerland and she came first in the German National Championships on January 6.

Gillings said: “I’m delighted with the result, its brilliant! I had a lot of confidence going into the race as I’ve had a great start to the season. The result also gives me a lot of confidence going into the World Snowboard Championships which start on Thursday. I’m pretty confident about the World Championship as it is on the same course I came fourth on last season.”