Wanaka snowboarder Benjamin Sutherland (18) was celebrating a
first win by a New Zealander at a United States national
boardercross event, at Copper Mountain, Colorado, yesterday.
Sutherland won gold in the 18-22 age group category in the
boardercross race; an event where four riders race each other
downhill on a custom-made course of snow, similar to a BMX
racetrack.
He told the Otago Daily Times yesterday winning the
event was "pretty cool".
Sutherland outpaced a field dominated by US riders to record
the fastest time trial of the day, which gave him first
choice of a favoured race line and start gate for the heats.
As fastest rider, Sutherland held his position to win all his
subsequent races, from heats through to the final.
Sutherland has been based in the US during the northern
hemisphere winter, with the International Snowboard Training
Academy.
Fellow Wanaka snowboarder Tim Herbert has also travelled to
take part in the training team and has recorded several
top-10 finishes in events during the winter, Sutherland said.
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