Reimer Wins His Second Straight World Championship!
Reimer leads Shapiera and Switzer at the entrance of Risch Corner. Photo Pierre Gamby
Hungerzell, Germany- Kevin Reimer continued the domination he showed all week by winning each of his heats and earning his second straight IGSA Downhill Skateboarding World Championship. Jackson Shapiera won a close battle over Patrick Switzer and Erik Lundberg to finish second. Switzer took the final podium spot.
On Saturday night, the big question was if the race was going to happen at all. The weather forecast was calling for a sever storm to blow in with heavy rain showers. Overnight the rain storm did come in along with heavy wind but by 5:00am the storm had cleared and the track begn to dry. The wind had scattered an enormous amount of debris so a street sweeper needed to be brought in to clear the mess. This forced the cancellation of the morning warm up so the organizers could stay on schedule for the 10:00am start. Due to the large number of entries, it was decided to run a 128 man bracket. It was a huge race that took nearly 4.5 hours to run!
Reimer, Switzer, Shapiera and Lundberg braking in a tight pack at 100 km/h in the Final. Photo Pierre Gamby
Nearly all of the top seeded riders made it through to the Quarter-Final Round and then we began to see the first upsets. Reigning World Cup Series Champion Mischo Erban crashed out in his quarter final match up against Jackson Shapiera, James Kelly, and Ali Nas from Norway. Louis Pilloni also crashed out in his Quarter- Final match against Erik Lundberg, Douglas Silva, and Alex Dietz. Number six qualifier Ramon Konigshausen was also eliminated in the Quarters against Patrick Switzer, Scoot Smith and Spencer Smith.
In the two Semi-Finals, the match ups were Reimer, Kelly, Shapiera and Christoph Batt in the first. The second featured Switzer, Silva, Lundberg and Scoot Smith. Reimer won his heat easily with Kelly, Shapiera and Batt battling for second. As they crossed the line it was Shapiera getting the transfer spot into the final. Kelly was third and Batt fourth. The second final had the big upset with number two qualifier Silva crashing and finishing fourth. Switzer won the heat and Lundberg was second to complete the Final. 2008 World Champion Smith was third.
The Consolation Final was run first to determine places 5-8. Batt pulled of the suprise victory with Scoot finishing second, Silva third and Kelly fourth. The big rider from Switzerland has been steadily improving over the past two seasons and definitely proved himself by beating three of the world's top racers in the Consi.
In the two Semi-Finals, the match ups were Reimer, Kelly, Shapiera and Christoph Batt in the first. The second featured Switzer, Silva, Lundberg and Scoot Smith. Reimer won his heat easily with Kelly, Shapiera and Batt battling for second. As they crossed the line it was Shapiera getting the transfer spot into the final. Kelly was third and Batt fourth. The second final had the big upset with number two qualifier Silva crashing and finishing fourth. Switzer won the heat and Lundberg was second to complete the Final. 2008 World Champion Smith was third.
The Consolation Final was run first to determine places 5-8. Batt pulled of the suprise victory with Scoot finishing second, Silva third and Kelly fourth. The big rider from Switzerland has been steadily improving over the past two seasons and definitely proved himself by beating three of the world's top racers in the Consi.
shapiera, Switzer and Lundberg race for 2nd in the Final. Photo Chris McBride
Downhill Skateboard Podium L-R: 2nd Shapiera, 1st Reimer, 3rd Switzer. Photo Marcus Rietema
Kevin Reimer is without a doubt the most dominant downhill skateboarder in the world today. He finished second at Maryhill despite putting a wheel off the course and fishtailing down the course in the final there. Had he not made the mistake, there is a very good chance he would have been victorious there as well. At the World Championships he literally left all of his rivals racing for second. Next week the IGSA World Cup Series moves to France. It's another highly technical course that should suit Reimer perfectly. It will be interesting to see if anyone can challenge him...