There he is again. The man they rightly call "the G.O.A.T." - "the Greatest of all Time". Greg Minnaar, by far the oldest rider at this UCI MTB World Championships, took the downhill final seriously after an incredible qualification and secured victory at this World Championships with the last few corners and a fantastic sprint to the finish. Benoit Coulanges took the silver medal for France, while bronze went to Troy Brosnan from Australia. The best German was Max Hartenstern in 30th place, closely followed by Johannes Fischbach in 32nd place, while Nina Hoffmann finished 11th in the women's downhill race.
France dominant for a long time - Finn Iles briefly in the hot seat
It will remain one of those world championships that nobody will forget in a hurry. One of the races like Danny Hart's victory in the Champéry downpour in 2011 or Loic Bruni's first World Championship title in 2017 in Cairns, Australia. The downhill elite made history on the brutal downhill course in Val di Sole, with a race that didn't really want to get going at first.
French champion Antoine Vidal had already flown so fast at the start of the race over the steep root carpet of the "Black Snake" track, which was only interrupted by rock gardens, that no-one could pose a threat to him for quite some time. Only the Austrian Andreas Kolb managed to beat Vidal's time and suddenly everything was open again.
Finn Iles shot through the stone fields at full risk, grazed a boundary post in flight and was later almost catapulted over the handlebars, but went into the hot seat. In the very next run, however, Iles had to fear for the lead when the American Luca Shaw came dangerously close to the Canadian's time in a completely different style - controlled and coordinated - but ultimately just missed it.
Victory in the final metres: Minnaar shows off his fitness and experience
Iles took a deep breath, but had rejoiced too soon when Danny Hart - World champion in Val di Sole at the 2016 World Championships - showed what is possible on this course. And beat Ile's time by a whole two and a half seconds. Would there be a second 2016, would Hart become world champion again? Benoit Coulanges didn't let that happen and beat Hart's time by a good second. A Frenchman was once again in the hot seat until the gate opened with the obligatory three beeps and former champion Greg Minnaar stormed onto the track.
It was an emotional rollercoaster ride for every downhill fan. First Minnaar was in front, then he lost time and was slightly behind Coulanges. Would Minnaar seriously miss out on the lead by just a few tenths? The last split time was still against Minnaar, but he proved his experience and coolness, whistled through the last two corners on the outermost studs, sprinted over the finish jump and snatched victory by a quarter of a second.
So at the age of 39, the former champion is once again world champion - and the oldest world champion ever. Four world championship titles and 22 World Cup victories adorn his name, which will remain unforgotten in the history of the sport.
Drama in the women's race - Vali Höll crashes again
The fastest qualifying time, perfect preparation. Once again it looked like Vali Höll would put in a strong performance in the women's race, but once again the Austrian was dogged by bad luck. With a massive lead, all it took was a small moment of carelessness in the middle of the course to throw her off balance. With her foot unclicked, she staggered into one of the most difficult sections, lost control of the front wheel and went down.
Myriam Nicole with a big lead to the World Championship title
Not so her rival Mille Johnset from Norway, who secured the hot seat with less of a lead at times, but without falling in the end. She was first outdone by Tahnee Seagrave from Great Britain, then by Eleonora Farina, Monika Hrastnik and last year's world champion Camille Balanche. France's Marine Cabirou put in a truly unique run, beating the other riders by a good second despite a nasty bruise in her leg.
However, none of them could do anything against Myriam Nicole. In the absence of Rachel Atherton, she played in a league of her own and mastered the course quickly and smoothly without any visible driving errors. A well-deserved second World Championship title for the Frenchwoman.
Adrian Kaether
Editor
