Final in the blink of an eye at the Downhill World Cup: Leogang king dethroned

In a dramatic final today, Frenchman Amaury Pierron dethroned the physically ailing triple winner Aaron Gwin. In the women's event, Rachel Atherton celebrated a celebrated comeback victory and local hero Vali Höll catapulted herself to a hat-trick victory in the World Cup despite a crash.

With a breathtaking final run that was like a rollercoaster ride, 22-year-old Frenchman Amaury Pierron ended US rider Aaron Gwin's winning streak in Leogang today: "I'm super happy that my victory in Fort William wasn't just a flash in the pan. I started the race slowly and wanted to take it easy. Then I made a mistake, lost a lot of time in the meantime and had to invest a lot to catch up with the pace again. That was extremely physically demanding. In the forest, I knew that I had to play to my strengths there and really gave it my all."

For a long time, however, it looked as if Aaron Gwin might actually be able to secure his fourth Leogang victory despite his injured thumb. With an unusually early start number, the US American managed a dream run in the upper part of the course. For a long time, the 30-year-old could hope to set a new world record in the downhill circus from the top of the hot seat, and his time even held up against top rides such as those of Troy Brosnan or Laurie Greenland. It was only the young Frenchman's ride that shattered the dream of an athlete's first quadruple success in a World Cup venue: "Second place still feels like a victory for me today. Just yesterday, I wouldn't have thought that I could even finish on the podium. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't practise many lines at race pace," said Gwin. There was also a small Austrian success with Laurie Greenland, competing for the Austrian MS Mondraker team, who celebrated his first World Cup podium. David Trummer, who was the only red-white-red starter to qualify for the final, finished in 46th place: "Things are going in the right direction. I was a few seconds faster again today, and I'm trying to build on that now."  
 
 
Atherton celebrates comeback victory

After a year out due to injury, Rachel Atherton celebrates her comeback victory in Leogang. It's her third success in the Pinzgau bike mecca and the Brit's first World Cup win in over a year: "I thought I'd forgotten how to win. The past few weeks have been incredibly tough - there was the crash in Fort William, yesterday the crash in qualifying. All of that really got to me, you get scared and lose confidence."
Last year's winner Tahnee Seagrave was extremely unlucky, landing outside the track boundaries and being disqualified. World Cup leader Myriam Nicole (FRA) finished in second place, with third place going to Tracey Hannah (AUS).
 
 
Vali Höll scores World Cup hat-trick despite a crash

Home races are different - and home World Cup premieres anyway. The dream of a home World Cup victory for the previously dominant local favourite Vali Höll was almost shattered today in the dusty sand of the Leogang Speedster. The junior, who is dominating the World Cup, crashed after the intermediate time. In front of her mum Sabine, dad Walter and brother Joni and the entire fan community that had travelled with her: "It really messed me up. I just slipped away, a small lapse of attention. Everyone was shouting at the side of the track, I just heard 'Vali let off the brakes', and that's what I stupidly did. When I crashed, I just thought to myself, shit, please not in Leogang of all places. With anger in her stomach, the 16-year-old from Saalbach started a fantastic race to catch up and put the competition in their place with another fabulous lead of 15 seconds: "I can't even remember the rest of the race, I was in a trance."

And yet another young lady from the Glemmtal finished on the podium in the junior category: Third place went to Ottilia Jones Johansson, a Saalbach resident by choice. The Swede, who has lived in Saalbach with her family for over 10 years, finished her first World Cup race with her first podium, following in the footsteps of her best friend Vali Höll.

 
For Höll, it's now back to school; at the next World Cup in Val di Sole, the 16-year-old has the chance to secure the overall World Cup early on: "The next few weeks are for school, I still have some schoolwork to do, then it's the holidays and I can concentrate on cycling." Australian Kye A'Hern celebrated a very close victory in the junior men's race. Five hundredths separated him from second-placed Thibaut Daprela. Britain's Henry Kerr finished in third place.
 
 
Out of Bounds Festival - four event days - 23,000 spectators - record crowd

The organisers of the Saalfelden Leogang bike region are also delighted with the successful weekend and the record crowd of 23,000 spectators who attended the Out of Bounds Festival over the four days of the event. "It was another great event. We are pleased with the positive feedback we received from riders, spectators and the media. The course adaptations have also borne fruit," explains Saalfelden Leogang Touristik Managing Director Marco Pointner. The Downhill World Cup took place in Saalfelden Leogang for the eighth time. 150 accredited journalists from 20 nations reported on site. And preparations for the next major event in Leogang, the 2020 Downhill World Championships, are already in full swing: "We were once again able to deliver a perfect dress rehearsal this year, a big thank you goes to the entire team," says Kornel Grundner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Leogang.