LAAX, Switzerland, March 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Gu Ailing claimed the women's freeski halfpipe title at The Snow League season finale in LAAX, Switzerland on Friday, securing the inaugural season championship crown.
Gu defeated Canada's Dylan Glennie in the quarterfinals held on Friday night, before beating Britain's Zoe Atkin in the semifinals. She went on to overcome Canada's Amy Fraser in the final to take the title, while Atkin secured bronze through the third-place playoff.
Gu had already secured the overall title earlier in the day after advancing from the quarterfinals. She won both freeski events this season in China and LAAX, earning a total of 200 points.
Speaking after the competition, Gu said she chose to compete in LAAX instead of attending the Academy Awards ceremony in the United States. "There will be another red carpet, but there will not be another inaugural championship," she said.
In the overall standings, Fraser finished second with 129 points, followed by American skier Svea Irving with 105 points.
In the men's competition, New Zealand's Luke Harrold won the event and claimed the overall title after edging Canada's Brendan Mackay. Although they both finished the season with 185 points, the Snow League World Champion tiebreaker is determined by the most recent result, which favored Harrold's victory at LAAX. American Hunter Hess ranked third with 116 points.
Launched in June 2024, The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboard and freeski, adopting a head-to-head elimination format. The inaugural season featured four events with a total prize purse of 2.2 million U.S. dollars, with athletes competing for points to determine the overall champions. ■
