SnowsportGB | Zoe Gillings 28-09-2007

Zoe Gillings grabs 6th Place in first NOKIA Snowboard FIS World Cup Competition of the 2007/08 Season

Zoe Gillings, Britain's No.1 female snowboarder, started off the 2007/08 winter season in style by achieving her best result in a World Cup Snowboardcross for three years, when placing 6th in the Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup Competition in Valle Nevado, Chile, the opening event of the 2007/08 Season.

Zoe Gillings did really well to qualify for the finals in 11th place, after a spectator ran onto the Snowboardcross course, and she was forced to do a re-run. Gillings convincingly won her quarter final heat, but unfortunately a tough lane draw in her semi-final, meant that she narrowly missed out on qualifying for the final and finished 6th overall. The competition was won by reigning World Champion Lindsey Jacobellis from USA.

After the race, Zoe Gillings 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 finishing even higher. This is a great start to the season, and I am very excited about the rest of the winter when 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 riders in the world here in Chile, and so I am so pleased to up there challenging the best in the world."

Zoe Gillings is a former winner of the Valle Nevado FIS World Cup back in 2004, but following a career-threatening foot injury in 2005 she has had a tough battle back to full fitness. It seems she has won that battle, and now has the chance to take on the best in the world once again, and to win World Cups in the next few seasons. Zoe's ultimate goal is a medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010.

See Zoe's profile

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