Stars to watch at the FIS Snowboard World Cup - Parallel Slalom in Davos
A stellar lineup of Olympic and world champions bring star power to the parallel slalom World Cup event in Switzerland.
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The 2024/25 FIS Snowboard World Cup - Parallel Slalom (PSL) makes its third stop of the season in Davos, Switzerland this Saturday (21 December), with Miki Tsubaki and Daniele Bagozza holding 35 and 5-point leads in the women's and men's competitions, respectively.
Olympics.com profiles the pair and two other athletes that you should watch this weekend.
Miki Tsubaki (Japan)
Miki has started her 2024/25 campaign in fine form, placing 2nd and 1st at the opening two events in Yanqing. The 21-year-old is also competing in the parallel giant slalom (PGS) World Cup—an event she won at the 2023 world championships—where she currently sits third, demonstrating just how talented the young Japanese is.
Miki is renowned for her blistering speed down the slope, and though it may be very early in the new season, she's already positioning herself as one of the favourites for the Crystal Globe, and possibly a medal in the giant slalom at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Daniele Bagozza (Italy)
Bagozza currently holds the most slender of leads over his compatriot Gabriel Messner, taking the top spot in the standings after earning the fifth World Cup win of his career in the parallel slalom in Yanqing two weeks ago (8 December).
The Italian must be full of confidence after earning another win in the PGS in front of a home crowd at Cortina d'Ampezzo last Saturday (14 December) in what may be a preview of the Olympic final in 2026. So look for Bagozza to continue his hot streak with another podium finish in Davos.
Ester Ledecká (Czechia)
Ledecká may not have had the best start to proceedings in the World Cup, but the double Olympic PGS champion is still a formidable talent who only needs one podium finish to find her form and begin a rapid climb up the leaderboard.
Let's not forget that the 29-year-old has reached the PSL World Cup podium 11 times throughout her career, with six race wins to go along with four parallel overall titles. She finished the 2023/24 season in third place, so clearly still has plenty left in the tank. Don't be surprised if she gets her season up and running with a strong showing in Davos.
Benjamin Karl (Austria)
Beijing 2022 champion Benjamin Karl is always must-see television when he straps in to his snowboard, regardless of whether he's competing in the PSL or PGS.
The 39-year-old veteran is one of the most decorated competitors in all of snowboarding, with five world titles, three Olympic medals, and one crystal globe to his name.
He captured his first overal World Cup title in the PGS last season, but is yet to finish higher than 3rd in the PSL—the position he currently holds after two races, finishing 2nd and 5th in Mylin and Yanqing respectively.