Hours after the halfpipe final at the Snowboard World Championships in Bakuriani, Georgia, Elizabeth Hosking was still struggling to find the words to describe how she felt on Friday. She had just accomplished one of the most important feats of her career, earning her the title of runner-up in the world.

“I’m so happy I can’t find the words. I’m on cloud nine right now, it’s crazy! To be world runner-up is amazing!” she immediately exclaimed in an interview with Sportcom.

Rain hit Bakuriani on Thursday, forcing the organizers to do a tremendous amount of work to maintain the quality of the halfpipe. Hosking was able to adapt to the new conditions and go one step further when needed.

The Quebecer’s first run in the final was her best due to the quality of all her maneuvers in the structure. With 85.50 points, she took provisional second place, which she retained until the end of the final.

“It was an adjustment in training early in the day due to the snow conditions. Despite everything, I was able to get good amplitude and land my big jumps like my backside 540 and my frontside 720. I’m super happy with this descent,” she analyzed.

China’s Cai Xuetong was the only athlete to have a better result than the Quebecer. She landed on the top step of the podium thanks to her 90.50 points she scored in her first run. Third place went to Mitsuki Ono from Japan with 83.00 points.

“There’s only one title that would be more fun than runners-up and I think I’ll be able to get it very soon,” Hosking added of the Olympics.

constant

The Mille-Isles athlete also finished second in the qualifiers held earlier this week, a consistency she is very proud of.

“Everything went well during qualifying and the final, it’s nice to see I can do two good performances so quickly in a row, especially here at the World Championships,” she said.

Despite his 21 years, Hosking was already taking part in his fourth World Championship. Her best finish was seventh at Aspen in 2021. Her silver medal makes her happy and confirms that her progress continues.

“It bodes well for the next few seasons, I’m getting better every year and hopefully it will stay that way. I have a lot of big goals with the new Olympic cycle starting, I can’t wait to see what’s next next season.”

This silver performance therefore ended Hosking’s season, which also included two World Cup podiums in 2022-2023. She’ll be returning home in the next few days to enjoy the Quebec winter before she puts down her board and takes a few weeks off from the snow.

“It’s a great way to end the season. It really was my best year in the World Cup and I’m happy to end it on a high. There’s an incredible feeling,” she concluded.