Canadian Press
March 12, 2010 4:48 p.m.
Re posted form Metro News Vancouver
Maelle Ricker
VALMALENCO, Italy – Maelle Ricker’s dream season keeps getting better.
The Olympic champion from West Vancouver locked up the snowboard cross World Cup title by finishing second in the women’s event Friday.
Ricker finished just behind American Lindsey Jacobellis at the penultimate event of the season. Dominique Maltais of Petite-Riviere-St-Francois, Que., was third.
“To have the (Olympic) gold medal and the crystal globe is pretty cool,” Ricker said in a phone interview. “I’m definitely happy with the season.”
Ricker, 31, won Olympic gold on home soil last month at Cypress Mountain to go with her three World Cup victories this season.
It’s Ricker’s second career crystal globe.
“It’s our Stanley Cup or our Super Bowl,” coach Tim Milne said of the accomplishment. “Everybody sees the Olympics as a one-off event and Maelle had a great performance obviously to win that one and a gold medal is an incredible thing.
“But on World Cup, to win a crystal globe you have to be a consistent performer and on the podium just about every week. To take it and battle hard for it all season, it’s the pinnacle for an accomplishment for a snowboarder.”
In all, Ricker made five World Cup podium appearances this season. For her career, she has 14 victories and 31 podiums in 105 starts.
“She’s just a great competitor,” Milne said. “She’s been at this sport a long time and she’s persevered through a lot of trials and competitions. She’s put a lot of hard work in and it’s paid off this season.”
Ricker has battled injuries throughout her long career.
She suffered a concussion after a fall in the Olympic final four years ago in Turin. She made her Olympic debut at the 1998 Games in Nagano and finished fifth in the halfpipe. She has had eight knee surgeries since.
Ricker is also a good bet to take the overall crystal globe for all snowboard disciplines when the World Cup season wraps up next week in France.
“It’s nice to be consistent throughout the season,” Ricker said. “And it’s nice to end on a good note too . . . I was really looking forward to coming to Europe. It’s nice to have some results as well.”
She added that her main goal at the start of the season was simply to put down her best races.
“I just tried to focus on my riding and on racing and not focusing on what results you get,” Ricker said. “I just like trying to ride the best I can and know that when that happens hopefully results come along with it.”
Maltais is also enjoying her best World Cup season with five podium appearances.
It has been a banner campaign for the Canadian team with 26 trips up the World Cup podium, two more than its previous best in 2008.
Australian Alex Pullin won the men’s race Friday. Mario Fuchs of Austria was second and Mateusz Ligocki of Poland was third.
Rob Fagan of Cranbrook, B.C., was the top Canadian in ninth place.
