Out of Bounds Festival 2019: Duel between the Leogang world champions at the World Championship dress rehearsal

Three-time world champion Loic Bruni emphasised his ambitions to compete for the title at the 2020 World Championships in Pinzgau by winning the World Championships dress rehearsal. Australia's Tracey Hannah secured victory in the women's event and Saalbach's Vali Höll took a dominant win in the junior category.

In eleventh place in qualifying, French triple world champion Loic Bruni opened a new era in the men's Downhill World Cup final in Saalfelden Leogang and had to tremble for his second victory of the season after Maribor for a correspondingly long time at the finish: ‘It was so close. I would rather have been anywhere today than shaking in the hot seat.’  The Frenchman needed strong nerves, especially during Greg Minnaar's run, but ultimately retained the upper hand against the 37-year-old fastest qualifier from South Africa by just three tenths of a second.
 

Duel between the Leogang World Champions at the World Championship dress rehearsal

The duel for first and second place today was not only a true duel of the generations, but also one of the Leogang World Champions: Bruni was Junior World Champion in Pinzgau in 2012, while Minnaar celebrated the title in the elite category at the same time: ‘I love the surroundings here and it feels very good to come back to the World Championships next year,’ said Bruni. 
In third place, Australian Troy Brosnan was delighted with another Leogang podium. The only Austrian remaining in the final was unlucky: David Trummer went too far off course in the upper part of the course, had to pass the spot again to avoid being disqualified and thus lost valuable time. In the end, the Styrian only managed 58th place.
 

Vali Höll with the third-fastest time of the day in the women's race

The women's final was no less dramatic and unexpected. After three consecutive qualifying pole positions, Australia's Tracey Hannah secured her first emotional World Cup victory in two years. Hannah also benefited from the fall of the British top favourite Rachel Atherton: ‘I've always celebrated my three World Cup victories in the absence of Rachel. This is something special for me today,’ said Hannah, who also took the lead in the women's World Cup. Not even 2.5 seconds separated second-placed Nina Hoffmann from the big sensation - the first victory by a German woman in the history of the Downhill World Cup. Third place went to Kate Weatherly from New Zealand.
 
In an indirect duel, however, an Austrian would have been on the podium of the three fastest women in Saalfelden Leogang: Vali Höll managed a truly magical run with a time of 3:49.363, which meant a superior victory in the junior category and unofficially third place in the elite women's category. Next year, the Saalbach native will compete in the elite class, just in time for her home World Championships in Saalfelden Leogang: ‘The goal is a medal and I have already proven that I have the speed. Next year I'll be a year older, stronger and have my A-levels in the bag, so I hope I can fulfil a big dream with a medal. I will certainly do everything I can.’
In the male junior category, Frenchman Thibaut Daprela celebrated a narrow victory ahead of last year's Australian winner Kye A'hern and Frenchman Matteo Inguez after finishing second last year.
 

World Cup dress rehearsal with 25,000 spectators

25,000 spectators attended the Out of Bounds Festival over the three days of the event. The ninth edition of the Downhill World Cup was also a benchmark for the World Championships, which will be held next year from 4 to 6 September in Saalfelden Leogang. ‘As organisers, we are very happy about the successful dress rehearsal. The changes to the course have had an effect. The weather was great, we had a record number of spectators with over 25,000 spectators. The races were exciting and at the highest sporting level. Now we are well prepared for next year's World Championships,’ explains Saalfelden Leogang Touristik Managing Director Marco Pointner. Meanwhile, 170 volunteers are involved in the success of the event. ‘We were able to deliver a perfect dress rehearsal, a big thank you goes to the entire team,’ says Kornel Grundner, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Leogang.