Australian snowboarder, Michaela Davis-Meehan, took second place in the season Freeride World Tour opener in Hakuba on the weekend.

The FWT rookie from Newcastle scored her coveted spot on the Freeride World Tour this year after finishing the 2019 FWQ season at the top of the leader board.

Japan has had a less than stellar snow season and competitors competed in trickier than usual conditions on a new venue at Hakuba known as “The South Bowl”. 

“This one takes the cake for the most nervous I’ve been for a competition” revealed Davis Meehan today.

“First comp of the year as well as first ever Freeride World Tour experience! I have been training really hard in the off season. Doing Muay Thai, getting into the gym with a lot of balance and strongman training which involves sledge hammers, tyre flipping and car pushing.”

The second place was a sensational way for Davis-Meehan to shake off the nerves and kick off her first Freeride World Tour. It’s an impressive result as she came in behind 2019 Snowboard Women champion Marion Haerty from France who took first place and in front of Erika Vikander from the USA who took third place in the six strong field.

“I’ll be riding in Hakuba and then Myoko until I head off to Canada for the next stop” says Davis-Meehan. “Hoping to hit some drops so I can send it at the next event. I still don’t know how much I’ve won, but it will go towards upgrading my comfort level of living in between events.”
 
But while she took her second place podium on the weekend last Saturday, the winning placements were not announced until today after an online broadcast decision from the Freeride World Tour meant that live streaming has been banned from the events.
 
Competitors were “not allowed” to reveal who won what or when and podium celebrations were held away from areas that the general public could ski or ride to, lest the results be leaked prior to the packaged vision broadcast forty hours later.
 
Davis-Meehan celebrated her confidential win on Saturday after the event in true Japan style with some Karaoke with fellow competitors and organisers. 
 
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