News photoJapan's Soko Yamaoka competes during the women's halfpipe final at a World Cup snowboarding competition in Stoneham, Canada.

STONEHAM, Canada (Kyodo) Japan's Soko Yamaoka won the top honors in the women's halfpipe final at the World Cup snowboarding competition held in Canada on Saturday for her first victory on the World Cup circuit this season.

Yamaoka collected 38.5 points for standard air, rotations and overall impression en route to her second overall World Cup victory while Manuela Laura Pesko of Switzerland finished runnerup and Lesley McKenna of England took third.

In the men's event won by Finland's Antti Autti, Domu Narita placed third and Daisuke Murakami ninth for Japan.