Ragettli and Ledeux victorious in freestyle World Cup opener

Andri Ragettli and Tess Ledeux emerged victorious from the opening freestyle skiing World Cup event of the season at Stubai.

Swiss star Ragettli leapfrogged Christian Nummedal in the men's Slopestyle with an excellent second run which brought him 94.00 points, sealing top spot for the 22-year-old.

Nummedal led the way at the halfway stage after recording a first run score of 91.75 but mustered just 22.50 second time round and had to settle for the runners-up spot, with fellow Norwegian Ferdinand Dahl completing the podium places with a best effort of 87.25.

American Nicholas Goepper was a point further back in fourth ahead of compatriot Colby Stevenson.

For Ragettli, who won Slopestyle gold at the X-Games in March, this was the perfect start to the 2020/21 World Cup campaign and he will look to build on it when the event returns at Font Romeu in January.

In the women's Slopestyle, Ledeux claimed her fifth World Cup triumph in the discipline after a fine first run earned 89.00 points.

That was enough for the French ace, a two-time world champion, to finish eight points clear of second-placed Johanne Killi, from Norway, with China's Gu Ailing Eileen in third after scoring 77.00 points on her first run.

American-born Gu claimed two gold medals at the Youth Olympics in Lausanne in January and the 17-year-old was the only competitor to make it past the second aerial jump on the second run here, which saw no improved scores across the board.

Estonian Kelly Sildaru had qualified fastest in Austria but did not feature in the final, pulling out shortly before her first run.

Megan Oldham was fourth with 71.00 points and Great Britain's Katie Summerhayes finished fifth on 65.75.