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The following words have been provided by Colin Levitch.
Now in its seventh year, the Toyota One Hit Wonder Down Under once again attracted a star studded international field to the slopes of Thredbo Resort.
Day one of the competition saw Oscar Wester take top honors in Australia’s only AFP gold ranked big air event, with Jesper Tjäder and Jackson ‘Wacko’ Wells rounding out the podium.
The 85-foot table was a bit shorter than last year’s 100-foot behemoth, but offered more loft and just over three seconds of airtime.
“This year the jump was absolutely perfect. I mean massive, scary big, but perfect,” said James ‘Woodsy’ Woods.
The qualifying rounds were hotly contested, with Tjäder and Russ Henshaw landing triples to top their respective heats. In the end, it was Wester’s clean and consistent triple cork 1620’s that took him through the qualifying round, and on to win the event with a score of 93.6.
“I felt confident coming into the final. I landed my triple 1620 in the qualifications, and I felt like the speed was consistent; everything felt right, and it went even better in finals,” Wester said after his win.
The battle for the remaining two podium spots was fierce, with Wells ahead of Tjäder after the first round—the Kiwi’s triple cork 1080 earning him a score of 90 points. However, jumping last in the final round, Tjäder landed a perfect switch triple cork 1260 scoring 91.3 points, securing second place. Even still, the youngest of the Wells brothers was happy with his performance on the day.
“I’m beyond stoked! This is my first time on a big podium,” said Wells. “And to be on it with these guys is amazing. It’s also the second comp in a row I have beaten my brothers,” noted the youngest of the three Wells brothers.
Though the locals missed out on podium spots, the Aussie armada was out in force; with Russ Henshaw, Jordan Houghton and Thomas Waddell reaching the finals, and placing fifth, ninth, and tenth respectively.
Delayed by high winds, the second day of competition saw the return of the One Hit Wonder “Game Show.” Riders are paired up at random and must plan tricks so their total degrees of rotation add up to the round total—the round totals were 1080, 1260 and 1440. The team with the best score at the end of three rounds wins the competition.
With three features to choose from, the competitors were rewarded for utilizing different jumps, synchronization, and creativity. Taking full advantage of this unique format, the riders threw down everything from knuckle tricks and double backflips, to synchronized transfer gaps.
In the end, it was team F.K.N. Send It, consisting of Tjäder and Evan McEachran who took home the top prize; with team Biggie Small’, consisting of Russ Henshaw and Jossi Wells, and team Jonas Is The King, with Jonas Hunziker and Beau-James Wells tied for second place.
