Monster Energy congratulates its team of freeski and snowboard athletes on taking key victories at the Big Air Klagenfurt competition.
KLAGENFURT, Austria, Jan. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --
- 19-Year-Old Taiga Hasegawa from Iwakura, Japan, Takes 1st Place in Men's Snowboard Big Air
- UK Team Rider Mia Brookes Takes 1st Place in Women's Snowboard Big Air
- Monster Army Rider Luca Harrington from New Zealand Takes 1st Place in Men's Freeski Big Air
What an epic weekend for snow sports! Monster Energy congratulates its team of freeski and snowboard athletes on taking key victories at the Big Air Klagenfurt competition. In the official FIS World Cup event inside Woerthersee Stadium, 19-year-old Taiga Hasegawa from Iwakura, Japan, captured first place in Men's Snowboard Big Air on Sunday. Also on Sunday, the Women's Snowboard Big Air competition saw 17-year-old Mia Brookes from Sandbach, United Kingdom, take the win.
In the Men's Freeski Big Air competition on Saturday, 20-year-old Monster Army rider Luca Harrington from Wānaka, New Zealand, claimed first place. Earning his career-first World Cup victory, Harrington stoked the festival crowd with a dominant performance while locking in the highest single trick score of the entire night.
From January 4 to 5, the FIS Freeski & Snowboard Big Air World Cup brought the world's leading snow sports athletes to Klagenfurt, Austria, for a spectacular event. Sanctioned by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), the contest attracted 40,000 spectators in a stadium atmosphere with sports performances supplemented by concerts featuring Bonez MC, Finch, Culcha Candela and Gabry Ponte.
Here's how the action unfolded for Team Monster Energy in Klagenfurt:
Snowboard Big Air: Taiga Hasegawa (Men's) and Mia Brookes (Women's) Claim Victories
In the Men's Snowboard Big Air final, young phenom Taiga Hasegawa dropped in as the reigning World Champion in the discipline. But the stakes were high in Klagenfurt: After winning the season opener in Chur in October, Hasegawa only placed ninth at the FIS World Cup event in Beijing in December. Time to get back on top.
Stepping into the final with confidence, Hasegawa put down a flawless Caballerial 1800 Weddle grab – spinning five rotations in the air – for 89.75 points. Maintaining the pressure, Hasegawa upped the ante by rotating a frontside 1800 frontside grab for 90.00 points. Taking his final run as a victory lap, the Japanese aerial expert claimed first place in Klagenfurt, scoring 179.75 points.
"I'm so excited to get the second win. Front 18 and cab 18 – it was so big. I was thinking, 'oh no,' but I believed, then I stomped, and I landed it," said Hasegawa after taking the Big Air victory in Klagenfurt.
On the strength of his victory, Hasegawa now holds first place in the overall 2025 FIS Snowboard World Cup Park & Pipe rankings with 238.00 points.
In the Women's Snowboard Big Air final Mia Brookes entered as the current leader in overall Park & Pipe standings for women after taking the Big Air win at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in Beijing in December. Could she do it again?
In a fierce final session that saw numerous favorites bail out of competition, Brookes demonstrated her strong nerves and strategic trick selection. Starting her final on a solid note, she landed a Caballerial 1080 melon for 82.75 points. Raising the bar on her second attempt, Brookes finessed a backside double cork 1260 Weddle grab over the jump for 88.50 points.
With everything riding on her third and final trick, Brookes rose to the challenge by landing a flawless Caballerial 1440 melon grab, a trick she landed as the first woman in a snowboard competition at X Games Aspen 2024. The cutting-edge aerial earned Brookes 95.75 points – the highest-scoring run across two days of snowboard competition – bringing her overall score to 184.25 points for the win.
"I can't believe I just did that! I'm so hyped," said Brookes upon taking the win at Klagenfurt with her high-scoring trick.
Brookes continues to rank in first place in the overall 2025 FIS Snowboard World Cup Park & Pipe rankings with 325.00 points.
Freeski Big Air: Monster Army's Luca Harrington Takes First Place
The Men's Freeski Big Air final saw the rise of a young upstart: With a technically flawless performance and high-scoring tricks, Monster Army rider Luca Harrington claimed his first FIS World Cup victory.
Straight out of the gate, Harrington secured the highest score of the night on his first run by landing a switch right triple 1620 esco double grab for 94.80 points. As the rest of the field scrambled to catch up, the young New Zealander sealed his victory on Run 2 by spinning a right double 1080 bring-back 900 Japan for 87.80 points and the winning score of 182.60 points.
Harrington not only secured his personal first World Cup victory. He also made history as the first rider from New Zealand to claim a win at a FIS World Cup and only the second Kiwi rider to earn a top three spot in the Big Air discipline.
Stay tuned as the next Big Air event of the FIS Freeski World Cup season takes place in Kreischberg, Austria, from January 9-10!
For more on Taiga Hasegawa, Mia Brookes, Luca Harrington, and the Monster Energy snow sports team, visit http://www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, for exclusive updates from the 2025 snow sports season.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at http://www.monsterenergy.com.
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SOURCE Monster Energy
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