FINAL RESULTS: Leogang World Cup Downhill

With just a couple of hours for the riders to recover after semi-finals, it was time to rack 'em and stack 'em at the top of the mountain for another crack at taming the famous Speedster track. In the women's, Rachel Atherton improved on her semi-final pace to land herself in third place, just behind Camille Balanche who also improved her semi-final time enough to haul herself into second. Nina Hoffman looked like she would have something to say about it all until she missed a braking point in the woods and ended up in the safety net. With just Vali Höll left in the start hut, the question on everybody's mind was whether or not she would be able to put all her past Leogang mishaps behind her and take a long-awaited win in front of her home crowd. 3 minutes and 23 seconds later, we had our answer - nobody could match Vali today as she was visibly faster and more confident than any of the other racers. Congrats Vali!

As the men got underway, Ronan Dunne laid down a real heater which saw him take up residency in the hot seat and start taking scalps. It wasn't until we got into the top 10 that Andreas Kolb was able to dislodge him - and he was the first rider of the week to go under the 3-minute mark at this time as well! After Vali's win in the women's, were we on for a hometown hero double for Austria? Daprela was green at the top 3 splits but ended up crossing the line 1.7 seconds back (still good enough for 2nd place at the time). Vergier and Coulanges also failed to put France back on top, while Shaw's bid to give the Star Spangled Banner a little podium airplay was equally fruitless. What could Canada do? Jackson Goldstone laid it all on the line, green at the final 3 splits before overcooking the infamous last corner and crossing the finish line 0.9 back in 2nd place at the time. Would the answer come from down under? Brosnan showcased his trademark smoothness but could only cross the line in 9th. All eyes on Specialized then! The Demo prototypes rolled into the start hut with all the pressure in the world on their shoulders, but this team is used to it. Loic in green - but not by much! Through the woods, nothing in it - 0.6 off pace at the finish line, as Loic too fails to crack the 3-minute barrier! Only one rider left standing between Kolb and the Austrian double! Finn on pace up top, looking every bit in touch on the motorway jumps. Through the woods, still in touch, but a crucial mistake at the entrance to the last corner drops Finn into 4th at the line. Kolb has done it! Höll has done it! Austrian double home wins!!! And once again, downhill fans win in Leogang as this once-maligned track steps up to deliver another fantastic race.

2023 Leogang World Cup Downhill Results - Elite Women