LA MOLINA, SPAIN – Paralympic champions Noah Elliott (St. Charles, Missouri) and Brenna Huckaby (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) continued their podium streaks at the 2023 FIS Para Snowboard World Championships each defending their world titles in the dual banked slalom. Team USA picked up a total of six medals (two gold, four silver) for the day cementing the Americans on top of the medals table with a total of 13 podium appearances across three days of competition. Due to weather conditions, riders took to the course for combined qualification and finals runs in La Molina.

After taking silver in the snowboardcross earlier in the competition, there was no stopping Huckaby who was determined to grab back-to-back gold in the women’s SB-LL1 class. Huckaby sailed through the qualification and semifinal runs with ease. In the finals, it was a fight to the finish as she edged out rival Cecile Hernandez from France to take the win in a photo finish. The win marks Huckaby’s fifth world title and third in the event.

“It took almost an hour to figure out the results and I won,” said Huckaby. “I’m super pumped. I knew that I gave it my all and put everything out there so whatever happened was going to and I knew it was going to be fine either way.”

It was another two U.S. podium appearance in the men’s SB-LL1 as Elliott grabbed the top spot with teammate Mike Schultz (St. Cloud, Minnesota) just behind taking the silver medal win. Elliott currently stands as the most decorated American of the competition with previous silver medal finishes in the snowboardcross and snowboardcross team events. Schultz recorded his second podium in La Molina after a bronze in the snowboardcross.

“I’m so astonished with my performances today,” said Elliott. “Everyone was riding really well overall, but I was really excited to be able to ride the way I did today. To be defending and now own the second world title, I’m absolutely above the clouds.”

“It was exciting and to be in the big final with my teammate Noah was pretty rad,” said Schultz. “Overall, I was pretty pumped with my performance today and made no mistakes really. I couldn’t get quite fast enough on the blue course which was commonly the slower one today… Being on the podium with Noah, myself and Chris Vos – I build all of their equipment so it’s a win-win.”

Six years after his last world championship medal, Paralympic champion Mike Minor (Frisco, Colorado) made his way back with impressive runs across the four rounds. In the second photo finish of the day, Minor took home silver just .001 behind Switzerland’s Aron Fahrni.

“That race was incredibly close - it was neck and neck all the way until the end,” said Minor. “I was a little late in turn eight and it threw me off a little bit. It came down to a photo finish…just very, very close.”

Picking up the first medal of the day was Peggy Martin (Golden, Colorado) who grabbed silver in the women’s SB-UL in her world championship debut. Though Martin has been one the world cup circuit, she was astonished to be taking home her first medal.  

“I’m so excited right now, I can’t even stand it,” said Martin. “This was unexpected, I had no intentions of this award and how happy I am. The racing was incredible, and the other girls are really incredible, so I think I was lucky.”

Paralympian Zach Miller (Silverthorne, Colorado) secured Team USA’s sixth and final medal of the day with a silver in the men’s SB-LL2 class. Miller took home the world title at the 2021 world championship and now holds four world championship medals including another silver in last week’s snowboardcross competition.

“It was a crazy day,” said Miller. “There was a lot that came at you today. I had runs on both courses but to come away with the silver, I’m still over the moon.”

Other Team USA athlete finishes include Keith Gabel (Ogden, Utah) and Evan Strong (Haiku, Hawaii) with a fifth and sixth place finish in the men’s SB-LL2 respectively. Tyler Divilio (hometown) secured an 11^th place finish in the men’s SB-UL while Darian Haynes (Muncie, Indiana) took a fourth-place rank and teammate Jennifer Ackers (Brant Beach, New Jersey) a seventh in the women’s SB-UL. In the women’s SB-LL1, Rebecca Johnston (Hood River, Oregon) rode to a spot in the small finals ending in fourth while Dennae Russell (Sturgis, South Dakota) and Jamie Blanek (Waco, Texas) finished fifth and seventh respectively.

The final day of competition will see four American teams - two men’s and two women’s -  battle for a spot on the podium in the banked slalom team event. Live results from the competition may be viewed through the FIS site available here. Follow U.S. Paralympics Snowboarding on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for daily updates from La Molina.

Wednesday, March 15 – Dual Banked Slalom Results

GOLD

Noah Elliott, men’s SB-LL1

Brenna Huckaby, women’s SB-LL1

SILVER

Peggy Martin, women’s SB-UL

Zach Miller, men’s SB-LL2

Mike Minor, men’s SB-UL

Mike Schultz, men’s SB-LL1

Other finishes:

4^th - Darian Haynes, women’s SB-UL

4^th – Rebecca Johnston, women’s SB-LL1

5^th – Keith Gabel, men’s SB-LL2

5^th – Dennae Russell, women’s SB-LL1

6^th – Evan Strong, men’s SB-LL2

7^th – Jennifer Ackers, women’s SB-UL

7^th – Jamie Blanek, women’s SB-LL1

11^th – Tyler Divilio, men’s SB-UL

For media requests and photo inquiries, please contact Annemarie Blanco at Annemarie.blanco@usopc.org.