Queenstown snowboarder Tiarn Collins registered a sixth placing at the slopestyle World Cup in Austria at the weekend.
Collins scored 68.40 on his first run on the 650m-long course and it proved to be the best of his three qualifying attempts. That was enough to send the 16-year-old to his first final, competing in only his second World Cup slopestyle event.
The result comes within the qualifying period for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Snow Sports NZ and the NZ Olympic Committee require athletes to achieve two top-16 results at World Cup and World Championship events within the qualifying period.
Fellow Otago snow sportsman Adam Hill also registered a top 10 finish in Austria at the weekend. Hall, a NZ para Alpine Ski Team member, finished seventh in the standing class of the World Cup event. The tournament is a qualifier towards the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.
