In slopestyle, going first usually means you’re the underdog. It means you’ve been off the bike, low on points, or both. For Emil Johansson at Red Bull Joyride 2025, it meant all three. Yet somehow, after years of injury setbacks and just twelve weeks removed from a broken collarbone, cracked rib and concussion at Crankworx Cairns, Johansson went first. And he never got caught.
His 91-point run in the opening round was flawless. It started with a half-cab tailwhip off the drop and didn’t let up, stacking trick after trick. He managed a suicide frontflip off the jump that was giving everyone trouble. Then he did a double-opposite tailwhip off the final drop. Perhaps that was his only mistake; his foot blew off one of the pedals, but the judges forgave him. In a rare feat, the entire Joyride field spent the rest of the afternoon fighting for second place.
Four surgeries, one gold
It’s been a rough ride. Over the last year, Johansson underwent shoulder surgery, then hand surgery, and then another shoulder operation when scans revealed a deeper issue.
“Out of surgery and finally on the way to recovery,” he wrote 46 weeks ago. “This year has already been so tough… No rain, no flowers.”
Then came another blow in May: “Small mistake cost me big today… Broke my left collarbone, a rib and took a hit to the head… It’s been a tough run the last couple of years, with injury after injury. Feels like I just can’t catch a break.”
But even then, he was optimistic: “Got so much stuff I’ve been working on to come back and deliver riding at the highest level… I’ll be back!!”
On Sunday in Whistler, he delivered.
Denying the Triple Crown
Johansson’s win also denied French rider Tim Bringer the elusive Triple Crown of Slopestyle. Bringer had already won two Crankworx Slopestyle World Championship (SWC) rounds this season and needed a win in Whistler to clinch the title.
After crashing in his first run, Bringer cleaned up his second and scored an 88.65. That was good enough for silver, but not enough to dethrone Johansson.
Germany’s Erik Fedko rounded out the podium with a smooth and stylish 85.9-point run, marking his first return to an SWC podium since 2022.
The GOAT of slopestyle?
Johansson’s win at Red Bull Joyride adds to his record as the most decorated Crankworx SWC athlete of all time. And considering the context, it might be his most impressive yet.
At 26, he’s faced more surgeries than many people see in a…
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