Precocious skiers making mark

Gustav Legnavsky may have a way to go to match the freeskiing exploits of the Wells siblings, of Wanaka, but his freeskiing down Cardrona's Olympic standard super-pipe impressed at the national junior freeski and snowboarding championships this week.

• View slideshow

The dummy-wearing Wanaka toddler was the centre of attention when he contested the half-pipe yesterday.

The youngest Wells siblings - Byron (U16), Beau-James (U14), and Jackson (U10), all won their age group divisions in the event, as their older brother and World Super-pipe Champion Jossi watched on from the bottom of the half-pipe.

Jackson (10) was competing in the same age group as Gustav - the youngest competitor by four years - in the U10 class and Gustav finished last.

Queenstown freeskier Matt Soundy (17) was named overall junior male champion in the Salomon Freeski half-pipe yesterday, while Leeza Becroft (17) won the junior female title.

Bridie Read (15) won the girls U16 half-pipe title when she narrowly edged out Wanaka's Mikey Austin (14).

Junior snowboarders contested the Sessions slopestyle event at Cardrona's terrain park yesterday, where Leah Pihama (17), of Wanaka, was named top junior female in slopestyle.

Tom Grooten (17) won junior male slopestyle, and U16 titles went to Jye Kearney (boys) and Michaela Davis-Meehan (girls).

The championships attracted about 200 young skiers and snowboarders.