Lake Wanaka, NZ (22 March 2012) - New Zealand’s Jossi Wells (Wanaka) and Rose Battersby (Taupo) have both received invites to the prestigious WSI/AFP World Championships which take place this week in Whistler/Blackcombe, BC. Wells, currently ranked number two, was named overall champion in 2010 and is in contention to take the title again. He will also be battling it out for the Big Air title.
Up and comer, Rose Battersby currently ranked number four in the world, has had amazing gains in her first full year of international competition. While she has not earned enough points to take the overall title this year, she does have a shot at moving into the number three position.
After climbing the rankings throughout the 11/12 season, top ranked athletes are invited to Whistler for the grand finale, the last opportunity to earn vluable Platinum Level AFP points and the opportunity to be crowned world champion.
“World Champs is possibly the most exciting event of the season. Everyone has worked hard all year long to make it to this event and have this final opportunity to top the world rankings.” says Steele Spence, AFP General Manager and professional judge. Spence adds, “Through the AFP World Tour athletes have a clear pathway to reach their goals. Compete, earn points and climb the rankings. Once you break into that top 30 an athlete can expect to start seeing invitations to the big events, national teams, sponsorships and so on.”
AFP World Rankings are calculated by a competitor’s top five best results in his or her discipline. World Championships is a Platinum Level event, one of eight this season, with 1,100 points for first place in halfpipe, slopestyle and big air up for grabs. There is still plenty of opportunity for advancement in the rankings, as the worlds best freeskiing athletes compete for the honour of 2012 AFP World Champion.
Here is a breakdown of how the rankings stand for Wells going into Whistler.
MEN'S BIG AIR WORLD CHAMPION
It’s an all out battle for the championship between Jossi Wells, Elias Ambühl, Kai Mahler, and Gus Kenworthy. We will simply have to wait and see how it plays out between these fierce competitors.
THE SARAH BURKE OVERALL WORLD CHAMPION
The overall world champion, recently renamed the Sarah Burke Trophy, awards the competitors competing in all three disciplines: halfpipe, slopestyle and big air. For the men, a competitors top four best results in halfpipe are added to their top four best results in slopestyle and top two big air results; for the women, the top 3 results in both halfpipe and slopestyle count toward their overall point total.
2011 Overall World Champion Gus Kenworthy finds himself on top once again this season. With a staggering 23 top five placements this year, Kenworthy is looking strong to win the Sarah Burke Trophy. Kenworthy will be tough to dislodge from the top, but Wells will do all he can to fight for the honour of regaining the Overall World Champion title.
All will be decided April 18-22nd in Whistler/Blackcomb at the Second Annual AFP World Championships! For more information visit.
12 years ago
AFP World Championships,
Jossi Wells,
Rose Battersby