Action finally got underway at the Ejder 3200 resort this morning following the forced cancellation of the training and qualifying runs due to bad weather over the last two days.

Reigning Olympic champion Samkova celebrated her comeback from the shoulder injury suffered last December in Val Thorens in France by taking the top prize in the women’s race.

Chloe Trespeuch, the Sochi 2014 bronze medallist from France, finished second and Italy’s Michela Moioli, winner of last two FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup events in Montafon and Cervinia, claimed the bronze medal. 

Overall World Cup leader Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States sat out of today’s race in Turkey, meaning she relinquishes her place at the top of the rankings to Trespeuch.

In the men’s event, Visintin secured back-to-back wins having triumphed on home snow in Cervinia last time out.

As was the case in Cervinia, the 28-year-old, the snowboard cross World Champion in the 2013-2014 season, passed France’s Pierre Vaultier on the home stretch to snatch the gold medal, pushing Sochi 2014 gold medallist Vaultier down into silver.

Austria’s Alessandro Haemmerle finished third.

Alex Pullin of Australia defended his number one spot in the rankings, despite finishing only eighth today. 

The racing is due to continue tomorrow with the second FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup team event of the season set to take place over the 750 metre long course.

As was the case in Erzurum, the snowboard freestyle halfpipe event in Laax, Switzerland, has also been badly affected by the weather in recent days with numerous cancellations having to be made.

However, competition finally got underway today with home athlete Iouri Podladtchikov, a Sochi 2014 gold medallist, coming out on top in the men’s event thanks to a score of 90.50 on his first run of the final round.

Japan’s 16-year-old Yuto Totsuka continued to show what a bright future he has in the sport by earning the fourth World Cup podium of his short career with a score of 88.25,

Zhang Yiwei of China claimed his first World Cup medal since February 2017 with a score of 87.00

China’s Liu Jiayu was by far the superior athlete in the women’s event and her score of 96.25 easily secured her second gold of the season.

Compatriot Cai Xuetong took silver, her highest finish this season, but she was still 12.5 points behind Liu in first.

Spain's Queralt Castellet could not live up to the gold medal she won in Snowmass last week, but still managed to grab a spot on the podium with a score of 81.75.

The halfpipe World Cup season will now take a break for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

There were no surprises in the women’s parallel giant slalom event on Rogla, a peak on Zreče Pohorje mountain in Slovenia, as the Czech Republic's Ester Ledecká secured her fourth slalom win of the season.

Austrian athletes took the final two spots on the podium through Claudia Riegler and Sochi 2014 gold medallist Julia Dujmovits, who claimed silver and bronze respectively.

There was also success for Austrian athletes in the men's parallel giant slalom as reigning parallel slalom champion Andreas Prommegger sealed his first individual title of the season.

Italy's Edwin Coratti claimed the second podium finish of his career by finishing in the silver medal spot whilst two-time Olympic medallist Benjamin Karl from Austria completed the podium lineup.

The athletes will compete in another parallel giant slalom race tomorrow on the final day of the competition on Rogla.