Summit County’s own Lily Dhawornvej put down the run of her life yesterday at World Cup snowboard slopestyle finals in Laax, Switzerland.
The 16-year-old Copper Mountain kid finished second as the only U.S. woman on the start list, jumping from fifth place at qualifiers to the first World Cup podium of her young career.
“I’m literally crying happy tears right now,” Dhawornvej said in a release from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team. “It was a battle with the conditions today but I’m so happy to put one down. And to do it in Laax? I’m just so proud of myself.”
Dhawornvej scored a 71.18 on the storied Laax Open course. Japan’s Kokomo Murase scored a 77.55 to claim her first victory of the season. In third place was Austrian heavyweight Anna Gasser with 69.70.
Missing from the finals was defending Olympic champ Jaime Anderson, of California, who failed to qualify. That put Dhawornvej all alone in the start gate as the only U.S. woman competing at finals on the Crap Sogn Gion glacier.
The women’s start was delayed by gusty winds that never let up. After watching the men struggle, organizers asked the ladies if they still wanted to compete. The majority said “yes,” just barely. Two Japanese veterans, Reira Iwabuchi and Mari Fukada, failed to land their runs. Many others went conservative with smaller spins.
But young, quiet Dhawornvej was laser-focused through a run that included a pair of 720s and a stylish tamedog (aka front flip). Check it out now on her Instagram page.
She gave Krystal 93 a taste of this non-nonsense confidence in November, before the season’s first big air contest in Steamboat Springs.
“I’m definitely trying to be super focused, but I always want to make sure that I’m having fun and enjoying the sport,” Dhawornvej told Krystal 93.
Her big finish in Laax comes at exactly the right time. This was the final qualifier for the Winter Olympics in two weeks. The U.S. teams are announced later this week and, with a podium under her belt, Dhawornvej is almost guaranteed a spot.
Preview image via @mslildice on IG.