Teenager Mia Brookes makes history with snowboard slopestyle world title in Bakuriani

British teenager Mia Brookes won her nation's maiden snowboard slopestyle world title at 2023 Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding World Championships while Norway's Marcus Kleveland defended his crown in the men's event on Monday (27 February).

Despite having competed in just three World Cup events, 16-year-old Brookes looked at home on her world championships debut and was in second place after the first run of the final in Bakuriani, Georgia.

With a silver medal already secured before the penultimate run of the competition, she decided to pick things up a notch and landed the first-ever CAB 1440 double grab in a women’s FIS competition to take the lead with a mammoth total of 91.38.

New Zealand's reigning Olympic champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, who had looked set to defend her world title until Brookes' brilliant effort, couldn't come up with a reply had to settle for silver with a score of 88.78, while Onitsuka Miyabi of Japan finished with bronze thanks to her 83.05.

"I feel like I could cry, I've never been so happy in my life," Brookes said after. "My coach said 'If you want to win, try the 14' I knew it was possible."

Beijing 2022 bronze medallist Tess Coady of Australia finished just off the podium in fourth position, while Austraia's big air double Olympic champion Anna Gasser finished in seventh.

The men's competition was won by Marcus Kleveland, who came from behind to defend his world title.

The Norweigian scored 40.33 on his first run, leaving him with plenty of work to do in order to catch Japan's early leader Kimata Ryoma.

But Kleveland saved his best for last, delivering a total of 87.23 to retake the lead.

Kimata's first run of 83.45 was good enough for silver, while 2019 slopestyle world champion Chris Corning of the USA took bronze with 82.18.

More to follow.