Xavier de Le Rue
Xavier de Le Rue ( born July 1, 1979 in Bayonne ) is a French snowboarder.
De Le Rue began his international career at the Junior World Championship 1997 in Corno alle Scale, where he reached the 13th place in the giant slalom. On November 14, 1997, he made his debut in the Snowboard World Cup. In Tignes, but he only reached the 76th place in the giant slalom. Even a week later in Zell am See, he did not come back on the 57th Place. For the first time in Lienz in January 1998, he succeeded to the seventh place the drive in the top ten. At the Junior World Cup 1998 in Chamrousse he finally won the silver medal in the giant slalom. In March 1998, he raced in Les Angles for the first time in the parallel slalom and won the FIS races also. A week later, he made his debut in the halfpipe and missed in Cauterets with 13th place just under the top 10 In the French Championship 1998 in L' Alpe d' Huez, he started for the first time in snowboard cross, reaching surprising fourth place. After he was able to win some FIS races in this new discipline and also won the National title at the French Championships in 2001 in Serre Chevallier, he started from September 2001 fixed in this discipline in the World Cup.
On September 6, 2001, he immediately won his first World Cup race in snowboard cross. After a year's break him again the leap was achieved in Valle Nevado in September 2002 on the podium with a second place. In the Snowboard World Cup 2003 in Kreischberg he finally won his first world title in snowboard cross. Six days after the World Cup he started again with the regular start in the World Cup, and reached in Berchtesgaden his second World Cup victory. After he drove increased in the following years on the podium and regularly celebrated victories, he started at the French Championships in 2005 again in snowboard cross, but could not finish the race. When a short time later held America 's Cup he won silver. The first World Cup race of the season 2005/ 06 in Valle Nevado de Le Rue won again.
At the Olympic Winter Games in Turin in 2006, he reached the 18th place in the snowboard cross. In the Snowboard World Cup 2007 in Arosa for the second time after 2003, he managed to win the title. Following a rather rare but successful start in the World Cup he won the silver medal at the World Snowboard Championship 2009 in Gangwon. His most recent international competition, he played with the participation in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where he once again reached the 19th place.