Three riders secure double gold at season-opening IPC Snowboard World Cup event

Lisa Bunschoten secured her second gold medal of the opening IPC Snowboard World Cup event of the season ©Getty Images

American Michael Minor and Dutch duo Lisa Bunschoten and Chris Vos all ended the opening International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Snowboard World Cup competition in style by clinching their second victories of the event in Landgraaf, The Netherlands.

Bunschoten, who picked up her maiden World Cup win yesterday, doubled her tally by powering to gold in the women’s SB-LL2 race in 39.95sec.

Her performance proved too strong for the rest of the field as 2015 World Championships silver medallist Joany Badenhorst of Australia clinched silver, while American Heidi Jo Duce was third.

Vos, the defending SB-LL1 World Cup champion, demonstrated his prowess in the race once again by clocking 34.75, finishing ahead of Austria’s Reinhold Schett and Mike Schultz of the United States.

The success for the 17-year-old ensures he leaves the event on home soil on top of the leaderboard ahead of the next IPC Snowboard World Cup event, a snowboard cross competition, which takes place in Aspen, in the United States from February 5 to 6.

American rising prospect Minor, whose triumph yesterday was his first-ever international medal, continued his excellent form by posting a time of 31.77 to win the SB-UL race.

Austrian world champion Patrick Mayrhofer had the opportunity to take advantage of a mistake from Minor in his opening run, which was declared illegal, but failed to capitalise and had to settle for silver.

Britain’s Ben Moore added another bronze to his collection as he came through to take third.

Paralympic champion Evan Strong took gold in the men's SB-LL2 ©Getty Images

Elsewhere, Paralympic gold medallist Evan Strong reigned supreme in a thrilling men’s SB-LL2 race, edging teammate and world champion Mike Shea thanks to a time of 29.28, with Finnish rider Matti Suur-Hamari rounding off the podium by sealing bronze.

The success for The Netherlands continued when Rinske van Beeke surged to victory in the women’s SB-UL in 1min 25.28sec, while Argentina’s Celeste Pedrosa Bersano wasn’t far behind in second.

France’s Paralympic silver medallist Cecile Hernandez-Cervellon took the women’s SB-LL1 honours by finishing in a time of 42.05 to avenge the defeat she suffered to American Brenna Huckaby yesterday.

The US rider claimed silver, while bronze went to her teammate Nicole Roundy.