“Maybe our coach will pay for dinner” joke the French who share men’s snowboard slopestyle podium

It was an afternoon of surprises and triumphs at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games snowboard slopestyle finals atop Bardonecchia Melezet mountain on Friday, 17 January.

The competition began with the women’s event, where nervous excitement was evident during the first runs of the young student-athletes.

“I felt good with the run today, but at first, I was tense and short on speed,” admitted Argentinian bronze medallist Abril Luz Casco, a physical education student at Universidad Nacional de la Comahue. “Afterward, I relaxed, and the excitement took over.”

Similarly, Tinkara Tanja Valcl, the winner from Slovenia with a score of 94.25, needed time to adjust to the kickers. “First I was doing the big kickers for like two days, but after that I just switched to small kickers so I had time to adjust to them. But after some time it got better,” said the 23-year-old from the University of Ljubljana.

Canadian Amy McCarthy from Acadia University, only 18, took silver.

Superb snowboarding action

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Teammates Petit and Garandel share men’s podium

On the men’s side, many athletes delivered thrilling performances, as well as amazing improvements from the first to the second run.

France dominated the final, with Noé Petit winning gold (91.25) and teammate Liam Garandel taking bronze (84.75). Thom Marinus Cornelis Vogel of the Netherlands impressed throughout and earned silver (88.75) with dynamic performances and infectious energy.

The biggest comeback came from Japan’s Ryoji Fujiya, who jumped from a modest 35.25 in his first run to a solid 83.00 in his second to finish in fourth place.

Despite his smooth runs, Noé Petit revealed his struggles with pre-competition nerves. “It feels great to win. It’s been a while since I’ve won because sometimes I tend to over-think and stress, which affects my performance. But today, I got two good runs, and now we’re here, so I’m very happy.”

Petit credited his preparation and support system, including coaches, family and friends, for helping him stay focused. “When I leave [the starting line] I try to put my mind at ease. I tend to over-think a lot and I know that’s bad for me. So I try to put my mind at ease and pretend as if I’m alone, just as if I was in my training session, which helps me a lot, that eases the pressure I put on myself, and once I’m there [doing the run] I just don’t think about anything.”

The camaraderie among the athletes was also evident, and the crowd mirrored the supportive atmosphere, greeting Petit with cheers and congratulations after each run.

“Between all of us, we help each other a lot, they are your friends with whom you go to the events. We encourage everyone, we cheer for each other, are there for support and we like one another because we’re friends outside the slopes. So surely that helps to boost the confidence in yourself,” Petit highlighted, expressing the mutual encouragement he felt.

As the snowboarders celebrated their victories, the men’s champion hinted at a modest celebration. “Maybe our coach will pay for dinner. But I’m pretty sure it won’t be something major because I compete tomorrow as well.”

Snowboarding action in Torino continues Saturday, 18 January with the women’s and men’s big air qualification runs.

The  take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on . Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Veronica Andrea Garcia Sanchez, FISU Young Reporter, Mexico

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.