Friday, January 16, 2009

Watanabe off to Korea for world SBX

Big race is Sunday

Hailey's Graham Watanabe, 26, will be going for the gold Sunday, Jan. 18 during the snowboardcross (SBX) event of the 2009 World Snowboarding Championships in Gangwon Province, Korea Jan. 18-24.

Watanabe is currently in ninth place on the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup Tour.

Six U.S. Olympians including 2000 Wood River High School graduate Watanabe will be leading 17 U.S. Snowboarding riders in Korea next week.

Headlining the squad is Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott of Maine, looking to reclaim the World Championship gold he won in 2005. Other contenders are Olympic bronze medalist Chris Klug of Aspen, Colo. and three-time X Games gold medalist Nate Holland of Squaw Valley, Calif.

"We are really bringing a diverse group of athletes to these World Championships," U.S. Snowboarding Head Coach Peter Foley said about the U.S. roster of seasoned competitors and young athletes.

The world's best snowboarders will go toe-to-toe Sunday, Jan. 18 in snowboardcross, then on Jan. 20-21 in parallel giant slalom and parallel slalom. The event will be capped by halfpipe Friday, Jan. 23 followed by big air Jan. 24.



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