Thanks to Infostrada Sports we are able to keep on posting some facts and figures on our events at the FIS Snowboard World Championships. So here are all the interesting facts on Parallel Giant Slalom, which was added to the World Champs calendar in 1999.

Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom 

> Jasey-Jay Anderson (CAN), already the male snowboarder with the most gold medals in WChs history (4), aims for a fifth at Stoneham. He could also equal Nicolas Huet (FRA) as the most decorated participant ever in this event (3 total medals) and overall (5).

> Anderson is one of three male snowboarders with two (or more) golds in a single discipline at the WChs, together with Xavier De Le Rue (FRA – Snowboard Cross) and Benjamin Karl (AUT – Parallel Slalom).

> Anderson could become the first man with three gold medals in a single WChs event.

> Anderson is the oldest snowboard world champion ever (either gender). He won Gold in this event at 33 years and 282 days in 2009.

> Benjamin Karl (AUT) is the defending champion in this event. He could become the second male snowboarder (after Anderson) to win four gold medals at the WChs.

> Karl could also become the first to defend his title in men’s Parallel Giant Slalom.

> Canada and Slovenia are the only countries with multiple gold medals in men’s Parallel Giant Slalom (2 each). France has the most total medals (5).

> Since 2003, Slovenia has had a participant land on the podium at every other WChs. If this pattern is to continue, Slovenia will not win a medal this time.

> 18 of the 21 medals awarded in men’s Parallel Giant Slalom have been won by participants from Europe. Anderson (2 golds) and Matthew Morison (CAN, silver in 2009)

Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom

> In the Parallel Giant Slalom of 2003, Ursula Bruhin (SUI) became the oldest female world champion in any current WChs event at 32 years and 300 days. Only Sondra Van Ert (USA) claimed gold at an older age (32-318), but did this in Giant Slalom (in 1997), a discipline that is no longer on the itinerary.

> Bruhin is still the only participant with multiple gold medals in this event (2001, 2003).

> Austria has claimed one third of all available total medals in this event’s history – seven of 21. Austria, Switzerland and Russia are the only countries with multiple gold medals (two each).

> In three of the last four WChs, Austria had two participants on the podium. The only exception during this time is 2007, when they went empty-handed.

> Snowboard sisters Manuela and Claudia Riegler (AUT) have combined for three medals in this event. Manuela grabbed bronze in 2001 and gold in 2005, the older Claudia silver in 2011. Claudia will look to come even with her sister on two medals.

> Manuela Riegler also collected two silver medals in the Parallel Slalom discipline.

> In 2011, Claudia Riegler became the oldest ever medal winner at the WChs, when she claimed bronze in the Parallel Slalom event at an age of 37 years and 199 days. No other boarder in any gender older than 34 ever won a medal.

> Since 2003, all medals in this event have gone to participants from Europe. The last non-European to win a medal: Rosey Fletcher (USA), silver in 2001.

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