Adam Lambert has achieved his first snowboard cross World Cup podium of the season, finishing second in an action-packed big-final medal round in Georgia.
The 27-year-old from Jindabyne, who represented Australia at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang and Beijing 2022, qualified in 15th for finals on Friday, and backed it up with a stunning day of head-to-head racing by winning his round of 32, quarter-final and semi-final at the Gudauri resort.
In the decider, Lambert was far enough away from a crash involving Eliot Grondin of Canada and Elias Leitner to finish in second place behind winner, and another Austrian, Jakob Dusek.
The silver takes Lambert to ninth in the men's standings.
"The men's big final is always really competitive, I have had a few in my time, I would like to have more, but it's always fun to race all day and not go out in the early rounds, so I am stoked," said Lambert after the fourth World Cup podium of his career.
"I think tomorrow I can do what I did today, I don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on myself, I feel if I race liked I raced today I have a good chance of doing it again, but anything can happen, it's boarder cross."
Compatriot Cameron Bolton finished ninth, while fellow Aussies Jarryd Hughes, Declan Dent, Matthew Thomas and James Johnstone were 25th, 37th, 48th and 50th, respectively.
In the women's event, France finished one-two with Julia Pereira de Sousa and Lea Casta beating home Italian Michela Moioli.
Three-time Olympian Belle Brockhoff had qualified in third place and made it through to the small-final but suffered a crash and ultimately finished eighth. Brockhoff is currently in a Tbilisi hospital undergoing further assessment with the support of Australian team medical staff.
World No.3 Josie Baff also crashed in the first round of finals and finished ninth, while fellow Aussies Mia Clift was 10th and Amber Essex 26th.
After five events, 21-year-old Baff (339 points) remains third on the standings, trailing Casta (445) and Charlotte Bankes (462) of Great Britain.
The snowboard cross athletes are back in action again on Sunday.
