Nike ACG Team Blog : News from the snowbard team

Zoe Gillings, Britain's number 1 female snowboarder, began the new 2007/2008 winter season with a bang in the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup in Valle Nevado, Chile, in the opening event of the new season. Zoe placed 6th overall in the boardercross, her best result in the World Cup Boardercross for three years, and is hoping the result will be a mere stepping-stone towards greater success on the World Cup Circuit.

Zoe won her quarter final heat, and was unlucky to be given a tough draw in her semi-final, causing her to narrowly miss out on the finals but still pick up a creditable 6th place finish. The eventual winner was Lindsey Jacobellis from the USA.

After the race, Zoe said, 'I am absolutely thrilled with this result, as it shows that all the hard work and training over the summer is paying off. I am really looking forward to the next competition on Saturday, and maybe fininshing higher. This is a great start to the season, and I am very excited about the rest of the winter in which I can hopefully achieve a victory in a World Cup - that's my goal for this year. It was a great competition with most of the best ridres in the world here in Chile, so I am pleased to be up there challenging the best in the world.'

It would seem that Zoe enjoys the Chilean event, as she actually won the World Cup Event in Valle Nevado back in 2004, and has battled back extrememly well after a career threatening foot injury which ravaged her past couple of seasons. Zoe does seem to have turned the corner though, and is ready to test herself once again against the world's best over the next few seasons, with her ultimate ambition a medal at the Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.