At 19, Ester Ledecká of the Czech Republic won parallel slalom gold at the FIS Snowboard World Championships. The event was held in Kreischberg, Austria. It was her first world title, won against a field of 43 riders from 19 countries.
Second seed into the final
The races took place on 22 January 2015. Riders took two runs, one on a blue course and one on a red course. Ledecká set the second-fastest time, a 1:18.11.
She sat just behind Russia’s Alena Zavarzina after qualifying. Then came the knockout rounds. In the final she met Julia Dujmovits of Austria, the Olympic champion from Sochi 2014.
The Olympic champion beaten
Ledecká beat Dujmovits head to head to take the title. Reports do not give the winning margin. Marion Kreiner of Austria came third, so the hosts took two medals behind the young Czech.
The win came a year after her first Olympics, where she had placed sixth and seventh on a snowboard. It was the first of three snowboard world titles, with more to follow in 2017 and 2025. That same season she also became double Junior World Champion.
The first of three world titles
Speaking after her win, Ledecká told reporters: “I don’t know what to say. I’m still young enough to compete at the Junior World Championships, so this is just amazing. It’s like a dream come true.”
The gold in Kreischberg marked the start of a rare career, one that would soon bring Olympic titles in two different sports.
