Industry News
On the second-last day of the 2025 Freestyle World Championship in St. Moritz, Switzerland, victory in the Big Air Freeski went to Italy’s Flora Tabanelli while the men’s championship title went to Luca Harrington from New Zealand. On Saturday, March 29, 17-year old Tabanelli won the competition with 176.75 points, surpassing seasoned Swiss freeskier Sarah Höfflin, who placed second with 170.75 points. Rounding out the women’s Big Air podium was Anni Kavara from Finland with 167.50 points. Meanwhile 21-year-old Harrington claimed victory with a smashing 192.00 points, relegating Finland’s Elias Syrja to second place with 184.25 points and reigning Olympic champion Birk Ruud to third with 183.00 points.
Tabanelli stormed onto the World Cup scene in the 2023-24 season, claiming her first World Cup podium in Beijing, just days after her 16th birthday. The young Italian prodigy went on to claim two Gold medals in the 2024 Youth Olympics in Gangwon, Korea, in Slopestyle and Big Air, and winning the Big Air Junior World Championship in Livigno, before dominating the 2024-25 Freeski World Cup season, which saw her crowned the Overall Park & Pipe season title winner.
Meanwhile, Luca Harrington’s season has been almost equally dominant, becoming New Zealand’s first recipient of a FIS Freeski Crystal Globe. 21-year-old Harrington debuted on the World Cup scene in the 2019-20 season at only 15 years of age. He went on to claim his first World Cup podium in March 2024 at the same location as the World Championships. During the 2024-25 season, he amassed five World Cup podium finishes, including two wins, solidifying his status as a leading figure in the sport. Reflecting on his achievement, Harrington expressed gratitude and excitement for the future. “This season has been incredible, and to cap it off with a World Championship title is beyond what I could have imagined,” he said. “I’m looking forward to building on this success in the coming years.”
