Canada's Scott Croxall and USA's Amanda Trunzo Claim Ice Cross Downhill World Championship Top Honours
-- Trunzo and Austria's Luca Dallago win the final Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Edmonton --
EDMONTON, March 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Concluding the season, Scott Croxall of Mississauga, Ontario, reclaimed the world champion title in the toughest season yet ? a repeat performance of the last time he competed in Edmonton in 2015. With another solid performance and sixth podium in the 2017/18 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship, Croxall was the most consistent rider of the season.
"I'm going to celebrate this big time," said Croxall, basking in the crowd's cheers after securing the title. "I'm really happy to take that world championship back."
While Croxall finished fourth in the Edmonton race, a total of 2,745 points put him on top as the Ice Cross Downhill World Champion. Defending champion Cameron Naasz (USA) was knocked out in the semi-final after a collision with Austria's Marco Dallago, settling for a disappointing fifth place in the race and second place overall. In this last Red Bull Crashed Ice race, Luca Dallago (AUT) took first place, followed by Maxwell Dunne (USA) and Kyle Croxall (CAN) in third.
American Amanda Trunzo won the increasingly competitive women's world championship in one of the closest seasons so far. Trunzo was in a league of her own this year, winning three of the four Red Bull Crashed Ice races. Trunzo topped the Edmonton stop, with Elaine Topolnisky (CAN) in second place and Sandrine Rangeon (FRA) taking third. Defending champion Jacqueline Legere (CAN) was knocked out in the semi-final after a bruising crash, settling for fifth in the race and second overall series.
"It's going to take a lot of training and pushing myself harder than I did before," said Legere.
This season marked the 14th year for the Ice Cross Downhill Championships, as athletes from 17 different countries descended upon the downhill track at Edmonton's Louise McKinney Riverfront Park in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Racers hurtled down the course, reaching speeds up to 60 km/h, in consecutive heats of four skaters in a double elimination bracket. The field was narrowed down from 32 qualifiers in the men's competition and the top 16 qualifiers in the women's race to the final four.
"The track was designed for takeovers in three different sections; we saw both winners fall behind in different parts of the course and come back to win their races," said Christian Papillon, Red Bull Crashed Ice Sport Director. "Overall I'm really happy with the fight and performance from all the athletes."
Back-to-Back Win and Dazzling Moves
On March 9, back-to-back World Junior Champion Mirko Lahti of Finland clinched the title after dominating the championship with four straight victories; no other rider has won this many single Red Bull Crashed Ice races. Extending his domination of the competition for 16 to 21-year-old racers, Lahti won his seventh consecutive competition, beating up-and-coming Lukasz Korzestanski (POL) who took second and Joni Saarinen (FIN) third.
In the Freestyle Competition, the crowd witnessed jaw-dropping performances as some of the world's best Ice Cross Downhill skaters showed off their repertoire of tricks and flips on the track. Steven Cox of Quebec City, QC, dazzled the fans with an impressive performance to take first place. France's Florian Petitcollin, the world's incline skating free-jump champion, claimed second place and American Daniel Bergeson took third.
The Course
Overlooking the frozen waters of the North Saskatchewan River Valley, the 455-metre ice track was longer, tougher and faster than 2015. With exciting features from start to finish, this year's champions had to demonstrate serious skill and athleticism, encountering jumps, two sets of rollers, an exciting U-turn and a skating section before reaching the finish line.
The new start location added more length to the course and a long downhill sprint leading to the first corner and 1.5-metre-high Bridge Step Down. The riders had to build up speed to clear the Canadian Big Air then break hard into the 180-degree BF Goodrich Traction Corner.
Watch the Race Again
If you missed the Red Bull Crashed Ice action, catch the replay on redbullcrashedice.com and Red Bull TV.
Red Bull Crashed Ice Edmonton Race Results
Men: 1. Luca Dallago (AUT), 2. Maxwell Dunne (USA), 3. Kyle Croxall (CAN), 4. Scott Croxall (CAN), 5. Cameron Naasz (USA), 6. Marco Dallago (AUT), 7. Jim De Paoli (SUI), 8. Tyler Witty (USA), 9. Killian Braun (SUI), 10. Michael Iulianello (USA).
Women: 1. Amanda Trunzo (USA), 2. Elaine Topolnisky (CAN), 3. Sandrine Rangeon (FRA), 4. Anais Morand (SUI), 5. Jacqueline Legere (CAN), 6. Maxie Plante (CAN), 7. Tamara Kajah (CAN), 8. Alicia Blomberg (CAN), 9. Myriam Trepanier (CAN), 10. Junko Yamamoto (JPN).
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SOURCE Red Bull Canada
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