Munich Ready as Clock Ticks Down to World Championship
Just 48 hours separate the international elite of the ice cross downhill scene from the first leg of the two-race Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2010. With the spectacular course ready, the athletes can begin their inspections as they search for the perfect line through the corners and over the humps, bumps and jumps in Munich’s Olympic Park.
The ice behemoth that awaits the skaters in the heart of the Bavarian capital is more than worthy of hosting the first World Championship race in the history of the sport: 400 m long, 5-7 m wide, 45 m vertical drop, 6 corners, 4 jumps and plenty of rollers are sure to make for spectacular action. With the first ever hairpin bend in the mid-section of the track and the first ever table-top jump included in the course, the 30,000 fans expected to pack the Olympic Park on Saturday night will be in for an evening of thrills and spills as the best ice cross downhillers in the world battle shoulder-to-shoulder for World Championship points.
Following two weeks of construction work, the course has finally been opened to the athletes for inspection. Among those taking a closer look at the jumps and rollers dotted along the ice canal will be Olympic slalom gold medallist Finn Christian Jagge (NOR), who is set to start in the qualifier field and aims to pull off a surprise against the international ice cross elite. Temperatures in the Bavarian capital have been well below zero since the start of the week and, under a cloudless sky, the conditions for the first ever Red Bull Crashed Ice event to be held in Germany couldn’t be better.
Skaters representing 23 countries will compete in the first leg of the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2010 in Munich on Saturday night, with the second stop of the two-race series being held in Quebec City (CAN) on 20 March. Over 1000 athletes took part in qualifying events held throughout Germany in the run-up to the race, where German football star Mario Gomez will be among the crowd.
Battling for the glory and representing Canada are the country’s top three performers: Gabriel Andre (Edmonton, AB), 2006 champion, Quebec City; Kevin Olson (Lethbridge, AB), 2007 champion, Quebec City and Helsinki; and top performer Christian Papillon (Quebec City, QC).
Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship is now drafting Canadian athletes for Quebec. To register please visit: www.facebook.com/redbullcanada or www.redbullcrashedice.com.
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