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Westport's Marino Ends Breakout Snowboard Season With 3rd Place At Worlds

WESTPORT, Conn. -- When Westport’s Julia Marino reflects on her career in snowboarding, she’ll realize that the winter of 2015-16 was the one that stamped her as an international star.

Westport's Julia Marino shows a wide smile after becoming the first woman to land two double flips in the World Snowboard Championships last week in China.

Westport's Julia Marino shows a wide smile after becoming the first woman to land two double flips in the World Snowboard Championships last week in China.

Photo Credit: Screen grab from World Snow Tour video
Julia Marino, right, finished third at the world championships.

Julia Marino, right, finished third at the world championships.

Photo Credit: Sami Tuorinemi/World Snowboard Tour

Marino, 18, finished the season last week with a third-place finish in the slopestyle event at the World Snowboard Federation’s Corona World Championships of Snowboarding in China.

Marino reached the podium for the third time in a month in international competition, including a gold at the Rev Tour Slopestyle on March 8 and gold at the Polartec Big Air at Fenway in February.

Jamie Anderson of the United States won the gold at the World Championships, followed by Finland’s Enni Rukajarvi.

Marino became the first woman to land a double in slopestyle competition, and did it twice on one run. She hit a Cab double underflip on her first jump and a double backflip on her last jump. After not landing on her first two runs, Marino faced pressure of a do-or-die final run -- and got it.

“I’m so glad I was able to put it down,’’ Marino said. “I’m just kind of flowing with happiness right now.”

The World Championships of Snowboarding (WCS) is the pinnacle snowboarding event organized by TTR Pro Snowboarding and the World Snowboard Federation (WSF). The WCS crowns snowboarding’s true World Champions in the disciplines of Halfpipe, Slopestyle and Big Air. The event is held every four years, bringing together 400 riders representing 43 WSF Member Nations.

Marino is now ranked 17th in the World Snowboard Tour rankings, and has climbed 37 spots in the past few months. She is ranked No. 2 in the world in Big Air, which will be an Olympic event in 2018.

"It’s such an awesome feeling,'' Marino said. "I really look up to (Jamie Anderson and Enni Rukajarvi) for riding — I always have since I was little — and getting to be on the podium with them is an amazing feeling, an amazing experience."

On Facebook, Marino wrote: "Feels so great to be back home after a long season of traveling. I'm so hyped to take 3rd place at the Slopestyle Corona World Championships of Snowboarding 2016 in Yabuli, China and even more hyped to have finally put down cab double underflip and double wildcat in the same run. Congrats @ennirukajarvi for taking 2nd and @jamieanderson for taking 1st! You guys kill it and it was so awesome to ride with you guys!"

Click here to watch Marino's bronze-medal winning run. Readers can follow Marino on Facebook and on Instagram at _juliamarino.

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