Australian snowboard cross speedster Josie Baff says the fire in her belly has helped rocket her to a World Cup silver medal in China.
The 22-year-old NSW athlete, increasingly looking like a medal hope in next year's Winter Olympics, finished runner-up in Sunday's 'Big Final' in Beidahu, China, to lie third overall in the season's standings.
It was the Jindabyne rider's second silver medal-winning performance of the season and marked the 11th time Baff has made the World Cup podium in her burgeoning career.
She had finished fifth in the previous day's opening event at the Chinese winter resort, winning the small final on Saturday to give her some confidence going into Sunday's races.
"It's definitely nice after yesterday. I had some fire in my belly - it was a good result, but I wanted more," said the 22-year-old Baff from Jindabyne.
She just managed to qualify from her semi-final, edging Frenchwoman Manon Petit Lenoir by three-hundredths of a second for the second qualifying spot.
Then in the final, she pursued front-running Charlotte Bankes doggedly before losing out by a quarter-of-a-second to the British star, who landed her second victory of the weekend.
Baff, though, got the better of Sina Siegenthaler by 0.07 seconds to consign her Swiss rival to third.
Baff's performance backed up her silver in the previous World Cup round at Cervinia in Italy just before Christmas, and she's now scenting the chance of going one better and adding to her two wins from the 2022-23 season.
"Two seconds in a row now - I really want to win, I hope I can get that soon," she said.
"But I was really happy to share the podium with the girls."
The 22-year-old Amber Essex, in just her fifth World Cup start, came seventh, while Mia Clift was 10th.
In the equivalent men's event, Adam Lambert was top Australian in 10th, with Jarryd Hughes 13th, Cameron Bolton 25th and James Johnstone 52nd. Bolton's still the highest-ranked Aussie in eighth.
