Nicolien Sauerbreij, snowboard, in podium position - again

02 February 2009 - Last Saturday, in Sudelfeld Germany, Nicolien Sauerbreij finished in third position in the world cup parallel giant slalom race. The Dutch snowboarder was delighted with her performance.

The winner of the world cup last season has struggled with ossification in her left foot, which was operated on in October 2008. “You first have to wait and see if the operation has the desired effect, before working on your confidence. The competition moves on while you have to get back to basics and find your own rhythm. No easy task”, she said Saturday, delighted after her first podium place this season, on real snow.

Sauerbreij had just returned from the world championships in South Korea, where her sixth position in the giant slalom was the first indicator of a super-quick return to the top.

She also won an Olympic nomination.

"With such an excellent year behind you, you want to maintain the standard one year before the Winter Olympics. The operation came at an unfortunate time, but was fortunately successful. I no longer experience pain while boarding, I am no longer restricted in my physical movements and I hope that I will soon return to top results.”

The Austrian Doris Günther  won on the hard snow in Sudelfeld, and the German snowboarder Amelie Kober came in second.