Snowboardcross: Austrians dominate Grand Prix at Park City's Canyons event

PARK CITY — Faye Gulini was racing for only the second time since tearing up her right knee 10 months ago.

It didn't show Sunday as she won the national snowboardcross title, making her the top American finisher at the U.S. Grand Prix at Park City's Canyons Resort.

"I needed this," said the 19-year-old Gulini, who hails from Salt Lake City. "I needed a little confidence booster, because I went to the last World Cup and it was really stressful. I was really nervous. But it is good to be back and hopefully it will carry over into the last two World Cups."

Canada's Dominque Maltais edged Gulini for the Grand Prix title to pocket the $10,000 winner's check, but Gulini took home the green jacket as national champ.

Austria's Markus Schairer and teammate Alessandro Haemmerle finished 1-2 in the men's snowboardcross finals, while 16-year-old Jarryd Hughes of Australia was third.

Nate Holland crashed after tangling with Hughes in the finals yet still claimed the national title as the top American male.

"Sitting one off the podium is a bittersweet spot; I remember this from the Olympics," said Holland, a six-time Winter X Games champion who finished fourth at the 2010 Olympics.

"I'm a little disappointed about the last heat, but excited about being national champion."

Hughes arced directly into Holland on the top of one feature, and Holland's board ended up on top of Hughes' board.

"When he rides away, it's just like the carpet gets pulled right out from underneath you," Holland said.

"I got up, knocked the snow off my goggles and all you can do is wonder if there's a pileup down below and there wasn't."

Instead, Schairer rode cleanly for the win and $10,000 prize.

"I was hoping to end up in the finals, so to win is just amazing," said Schairer. "The season has been just up and down, up and down. Now I'm up again and hope it stays like this."

Two-time Olympian Graham Watanabe, who said he was retiring after Sunday's race, was hoping to win it all but had to settle for winning the consolation finals and taking fifth on his home mountain.

"It's kind of the story of my career; I'm a fifth-place guy," said Watanabe. "If you look at my bio, there's a whole string of them. But it's definitely better to end the day with a win than a loss."