Ricker seals second crystal globe with silver in Valmalenco

CANADA'S Olympic champion Maelle Ricker recaptured the women's snowboardcross crystal globe after finishing second in the penultimate World Cup in Valmalenco on Friday.

DOUBLE CELEBRATION: Maelle Rickers adds the snowboardcross crystal globe to her Winter Olympics victory from earlier in the season (Getty Images)

The 31-year old collected 800 points for her silver in Italy to establish an unassailable lead of 1210 over Norway's Helene Olafsen with just one World Cup event remaining; in La Molina next weekend.

USA's Lindsey Jacobellis made up for her fifth place in Vancouver by beating Ricker to gold in Valmalenco while Canada's Dominique Maltais edged out Olafsen for bronze.

But Ricker made sure she did enough to lift the title she relinquished to Jacobellis last season.

Meanwhile, Australia's Alex Pullin scored his first career World Cup gold in the men's event in Valmalenco.

The 22-year old beat Austria's Mario Fuchs, Poland's Mateusz Ligocki and Alberto Schiavon in the big final to clinch the win.

France's Pierre Vaultier had already sealed the men's crystal globe and finished 16th in Italy.