Samkova and Haemmerle victorious on Secret Garden’s Olympic track
Nov 28, 2021·Snowboard Cross
The first competition of the season is in the books. And what a competition it was on this impressive Olympic track!
At today’s race day the temperatures were pretty warm and unlike the weather forecast, the sun did show up a bit, nevertheless the light was different than during training and quali days, but the course was in good shape and the athletes were of course pumped to send it for the first time this season.
Samkova unstoppable
The big final of women saw 2018 Olympic champion Michela Moioli (ITA), 2018 Olympic bronze medallist Eva Samkova (CZE), World Champion Charlotte Bankes (GBR) and Austria’s young gun Pia Zerkhold in the start gate.
Samkova, as in every heat of the day, pitchforked herself out of the start gate into the lead, while World and Olympic champion battled for the second and third spot and the 23-year-old Austrian, who was in the big final for the first time in her career, was in fourth position.
It was Bankes, who got into second position and Moioli was in third. Zerkhold was not able to catch up to the rest of the pack, but in the front, there were some passes and fights going on, especially between Bankes and Eva for the lead. For a short moment, the World Champion managed to get into the lead, but it was Samkova in the end, who managed to gain enough speed for the final roller section and to get over the final jump and through the finish line.
“I am tired, really tired. The course is really long and you have to work super hard across all the rollers. It was a really tough fight; I was expecting the girls to come for me. Especially in the third bank it was really tight, but I told myself that I have to make it, there is no other way. So, I am super happy to have made it,” a very tired Samkova said in the finish.
Haemmerle fights to the win
For the men’s big final, it was Vice-World Champion and SBX crystal globe triple winner Alessandro Haemmerle (AUT), Italian veteran Omar Visintin (ITA), 39-year-old Nick Baumgartner (USA) and Jakob Dusek (AUT) in the start gate.
Haemmerle made his way out of the gate super fast, taking the lead, whereas the other three were pumping the start section really hard to follow the Austrian. It was actually Baumgartner, who was sitting in second position and Dusek and Visintin were fighting for the third position until the Italian managed to overtake the Austrian in one of the banks.
And it was once again the roller section in the end that was the decisive moment for the podium decision, as Visintin was able to gain enough speed from the last bank to pump the rollers and to overtake Baumgartner. That way, the men jumped into the finish with Haemmerle taking the win, Visintin claiming second and Baumgartner third.
“It was super tight, I made a really fast start and knew there would be a draft, but I tried to chill more in the upper section and come for some draft myself, but the race ends on the finish line, so I knew it was going to be tight, but it turned out well,” a happy Haemmerle commented.
Since it was the first competition of the season, the winners are automatically also World Cup leaders, which means that Alessandro Haemmerle and Eva Samkova are now wearing the leader bibs.
It’s time to pack up all of the luggage that came across the world to China, to go back to Europe and get ready for the next stop in Montafon (AUT) on Dec 10 with the single event and Dec 11 with the mixed-team event.
Safe travels to all and see you in Austria!
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