Wed, 03/10/2010 - 11:53pmKevin Rolland wins first ever European X Games

Frenchman, Kevin Rolland, has won the first ever European X Games in Tignes

The halfpipe was in immaculate condition and the night time super final saw insane tricks at insane heights. Local hero Xavier Bertoni took the silver medal, much to the delight of the immense crowd. As soon as the comp ended and the winners were announced they were swamped by groupies and the organisers appeared a little peeved at the spectators taking a dip, sled or snowboard through the pipe.

France welcomed the first Winter X Games Europe in style with two of their very own taking gold and silver in tonight’s Men’s Skiing SuperPipe final. Kevin Rolland went into the final in third place after last night’s elimination while Tignes resident, Xavier Bertoni, came in second. The final belonged to Rolland who competed in front of 17,500 screaming fans.

 “I couldn’t have dreamt of a better situation,” Rolland said. “We (Bertoni) were one and three in Aspen and now for the first edition at home we are one and two.”

The difficulty of Rolland’s run with his two double flips and double cork 1260 mute grab on his last hit of his third run were unmatched. Rolland was the first skier ever to throw this in competition at Winter X Games 14 in Aspen, and he is still the only skier who has landed it in a competition.

 While neither Kevin nor Xavier have ever had family come to Winter X in the United States, both athletes had more than 130 friends and family cheering them on in Tignes, one of them being Rolland’s grandfather who had never seen Rolland compete. 

Canada’s Justin Dorey took home the bronze with back-to-back doubles – a combo he has been working on for more than a year.

“Because I am from North America, the X Games in Aspen means more to me, but for Kevin and Xavier to win here in their own country of France, it must mean the same,” Dorey said when asked about which event means more to him.

WINTER X GAMES EUROPE 2010

The inaugural Winter X Games Europe will feature nearly 150 men and women from across the globe competing for medals and prize money in the sports of Skiing and Snowboard. Additionally, there will be daily Snowmobile Freestyle demonstrations. The event is the first Winter X Games held outside the United States and brings together ESPN's world class X Games franchise with Canal+ Events and Tignes Ski & Snowboard Resort.

Together with CANAL + Networks (CANAL +, CANAL + SPORT, Sport +) and ESPN International, Winter X Games Europe will be broadcast live in eight countries, including France, and distributed to 166 countries and territories, including Latin America, Middle East, Pacific Rim, sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil, Israel, Caribbean, North America and Europe.
 

Programme / Schedule – 11/03/2009

10.00 / 12.00     Qualifications / Ski / Slopestyle / Men

13.30 / 15.00     Finale Snowboard / Slopestyle / Men

16.30 / 17.30     Finale Snowboard / SuperPipe / Women

18.30 / 20.00     Qualifications Snowboard / SuperPipe / Men

The final rankings look like this:

1. Kevin Rolland  175  La Plagne, France   95.660 
2. Xavier Bertoni  259  Tignes, France   92.000  
3. Justin Dorey  170  Vernon, Canada  86.660 
4. Mike Riddle  264  Sherwood Park, Canada 85.000
5. Byron Wells  265  Wanaka, New Zealand   84.330
6. Jossi Wells  536  Wanaka, New Zealand  82.660  
7. Tucker Perkins  174  North Hampton, NH, USA 80.330 
8. AJ Kemppainen  261  Kuusamo, Finland  75.330 

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