Two gold medals for the Halter siblings – bad luck for Keller
Golden start for Thömus maxon at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Val di Sole: Monique and Nicolas Halter win both the U23 women’s and men’s Short Track races respectively. Alessandra Keller fights her way back after an incident to finish sixth.
On the fast course with relatively little climbing, the U23 women’s race developed into an exciting contest with numerous changes of position. Monique Halter took responsibility at the front from an early stage and controlled the race at the head of the field. With a tactically astute approach, she kept her rivals at bay all the way to the finish and secured the World Championship title in convincing fashion.
Monique Halter cruises to World Championship title
“I had great legs and spent most of the race at the front. At one point, I deliberately dropped back a little to keep an eye on my rivals. Even approaching the finish, I didn’t really believe I could win – I’m absolutely delighted!” said Halter at the finish.
Behind Halter, Jackson (GBR) and Kellerman (USA) completed the podium.
Nicolas Halter completes the double
Shortly afterwards, Nicolas Halter, who races for Thömus Akros Young Stars, secured a second Swiss triumph. The 20-year-old from Appenzell remained in the leading group throughout the race and conserved his energy with a smart tactical approach. At the beginning of the final lap, he initially found himself at the back of the group, but made the most of gaps opening up ahead of him to move into the ideal position for the decisive phase.
In the final two-rider sprint, Halter prevailed and, like his older sister shortly before him, was also crowned U23 World Champion.
“I still can’t believe it. It feels surreal. I raced intelligently throughout and managed to win the sprint at the end,” said the newly crowned World Champion.
Keller fights her way back
Alessandra Keller lined up in the Elite women’s race as the defending World Champion. After a promising start, she was set back by an incident midway through the race: while avoiding another rider, her leg became caught in the competitor’s rear wheel. Keller managed to avoid a crash, but had to restart from a standstill and lost valuable time.
Showing great fighting spirit, the Swiss rider then worked her way back into the leading group. However, under the circumstances, she was no longer able to challenge for the medals. Keller eventually crossed the finish line in sixth place.
“We got tangled up, but fortunately I didn’t crash. I then had to make a big effort to get back to the front. Just at that moment, the leaders increased the pace again,” explained Keller. “My focus is now on Sunday’s XCO race.”
Laura Stigger (AUT) won the World Championship title ahead of Evie Richards (GBR) and Sina Frei (SUI).
No Thömus maxon riders lined up for the Elite men’s race.