Para-snowboarders Aron Fahrni, Romy Tschopp and Fabrice von Grünigen will make up the Swiss team at the World Championships in Big White from March 4 to 10.
04.03.2025, 06:00
04.03.2025, 07:52
SDA
After the successful boardercross World Cup in the USA with five Swiss medals over two days of racing, the para-snowboard team is ready for the highlight of the season: The World Championships in Snowboard Cross and Banked Slalom in the ski resort of Big White, in western Canada.
Aron Fahrni reigning world champion
Banked slalom world champion Aron Fahrni from Emmental has also been on the podium time and again in the World Cup. Although not all races have gone according to plan this season, Fahrni still came out on top against the top athletes from China in Kühtai. With this victory in the banked slalom, he secured overall World Cup victory in this discipline. At the World Cup in the USA this week, he took silver twice in the cross-country. At the World Championships, the Bernese will be fighting for a top place in the banked slalom and snowboard cross against strong competition.
Romy Tschopp also competes twice
Romy Tschopp impressed at the 2023 World Championships with silver in boardercross. She was the first Swiss snowboarder at the Paralympic Games in Beijing 2022. The Basel native is also the only professional snowboarder who uses a wheelchair in her everyday life. The athlete never let several health setbacks discourage her and fought her way back onto the board. At the World Cup in the USA, she won bronze in the cross-country event. She will also be competing in both disciplines at the World Championships.
World Championship premiere for Fabrice von Grünigen
The young athlete from Saanen, Fabrice von Grünigen, made the leap into the World Cup a year ago. At his home World Cup in Lenk at the end of January, the Bernese athlete took bronze in snowboard cross for the first time, and this week he secured two silver medals in the USA. He is also likely to achieve top placings at his World Cup debut in Big White.
Chinese competition
National coach Silvan Hofer sees the strong Chinese competition in particular as a challenge at the World Championships. "China didn't take part last season and now they're cleaning up everything," says Hofer. Chinese athletes have finished on the podium several times this World Cup season. Accordingly, he formulates the expectations on the Swiss side cautiously: "We are aiming for top 6 results at the World Championships."
