Romana Labounkova and Quentin Derbier are the UCI 2018 World Champions in the 4X specialty. They respectively won the women's and men's championships competitions on Friday evening on a track made even more spectacular and challenging by the Val di Sole trackers.
Only 8 the riders competing in the women's race. In the final all the favorites of the eve arrived, a race with no surprises. In fact, the Czech Labounkova, after the second place in 2017 behind the four-time world champion Caroline Buchanan, absent this year, she has had an easy race against the British Natasha Bradley and the German Raphaela Richter, respectively second and third. Third medal won for Romana Labounkova, after the bronze of 2008 (in Val di Sole) and the silver of 2012.
The men's competition has been longer and more exciting, also due to the falls and errors that penalized some of the favorites for the podium. In fact, this round saw the exit of the strong Austrian specialist Hannes Slavik (firing quarter against Beaumont and the Czech Tomas) and the New Zealander Keegan Wright. The surprises continued in the two semi-finals with the failed qualification of the current World Champion, the Swede Felix Beckeman, and the British Scott Beaumont, one of the longest and strongest interpreters of the discipline. The final was played between Tomas Slavik, the British Elliott Heap, Quentin Derbier and the Czech surprise Mikulas Nevrkla. It seemed that finally the first managed to make his coveted gold medal but an uncertainty about the humps at the exit of the rock garden reunited the group with the two athletes of the Czech Republic and the French playing for the final victory. At the end Derbier cut the finish line first in front of the two compatriots Slavik and Nevrkla, more detached Heap.
Many people along the spectacular track, perfectly lit for the night races, watched the women's and men's 4X finals.
Today, Saturday 7, the Mercedes-Benz UCI MTB World Cup Downhill competitions will run. The Elite Women's and Men's finals are the two main events, scheduled from 12:30 and 13:30 respectively.
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