Australia has its second silver medal of the 2018 Winter Olympics after Jarryd Hughes came in just behind France’s Pierre Vaultier in a dramatic snowboard cross final at Pyeongchang’s Phoenix Snow Park.

Vaultier’s victory meant he retained the title he won four years ago as he edged Hughes into second place, while Spain’s Regino Hernandez claimed bronze. Hughes’s compatriot Alex Pullin also reached the final but crashed and did not finish.

“I never doubted it,” Hughes told Channel Seven. “It is always hard work coming back and five [operations] is rough and my knee is not perfect and never will be unfortunately.

“I’m just happy to see all the hard work paying off and it working out. It was a rough year but we made it work so I’m really happy.”

The format sees the top three riders from each of the eight heats advance to quarter then semi-finals, with six competitors eventually contesting the final.

Vaultier, a five-time World Cup champion, looked comfortable in the early stages of the competition but the unpredictable nature of the sport means that no result can be guaranteed and several of his rivals crashed out in the early stages.

The format sees the top three riders from each of the eight heats advance to quarter then semi-finals, with six competitors eventually contesting the final.

Italy’s Omar Visintin, ranked fourth in the world, clashed with Spain’s Lucas Eguibar at top of the run during his heat and was eliminated.



Then, in a dramatic semi-final, Vaultier tangled with Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle and Sochi silver medallist Nikolay Olyunin, an Olympic Athlete from Russia.

All three hit the deck but Vaultier managed to pick himself up first and finish the race in third, qualifying for the final.

Olyunin, touted to challenge Vaultier in the final, was injured in the incident and received treatment for a lengthy period of time, delaying the start of the second semi-final.

Russian news agency TASS quoted a team source as saying Olyunin suffered a broken leg. Pullin and Hughes also qualified from the first semi-final.

After more drama in the second semi-final, which saw Hernandez and American pair Nick Baumgartner and Mick Dierdorff advance, the stage was set for a mouth-watering finale.

Baumgartner and Dierdorff were then involved in another collision, this time with Pullin, leaving the path free for Vaultier, who crossed the line ahead of Hughes and Hernandez to retain his title.