Tess Critchlow, who calls Big White home, took first place at the Speed Nation Snowboard Cross Nationals at the resort on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old was in third around the first and second corners of the track before pulling ahead for the win.
“There was a bit of a malfunction with the gate handle at the start so I had a lot of ground to make up,” Critchlow says, “but working for those passes and catching Livia just at the finish line made the win that much more exciting!”
Critchlow was followed by Livia Molodyh from the U.S.A., and Josie Baff from Australia took third.
Critchlow has been racing since she was six years old. She joined the BC provincial team when she was 14.
Four years later, after claiming the North American title and winning back-to-back junior national championships, she was named to the Canadian national team. Last year, at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Critchlow placed ninth in women’s snowboard cross.
Critchlow said her long-term goal is to earn a spot at the 2022 Winter Games in China.
Speed Nation events continue this week at TELUS Park at Big White, with the under-15 snowboard cross event going on Saturday.
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