Mountain bike world championship in Leogang – winner of the mud battle: Balanche wins gold in downhill – sport

Cyclists got stuck in mud, blocked bicycles, and participants had to complete the difficult journey on foot. But one person was not impressed by the incredibly difficult downhill conditions at the Leogang Mountain Bike World Championships (AUT): Camille Balanche. The Bieler by choice displayed a flawless ride with a high start number and sensationally won the World Championship gold.

Balanche caught leader Myriam Nicole (FRA) in the bottom third. Monika Hrastnik (SLK) completed the podium just 17 seconds behind. Balanche was the only Swiss woman who started downhill. The real hope, Emilie Siegenthaler, was injured shortly before in a training fall and therefore had to skip the race.

Balanche multi-talented

When it comes to something, the Neuchâtel native is always an attractive candidate. Last year Balanche was the European Downhill Champion without having previously made it to the World Cup podium. From an early age he demonstrated outstanding talent in multisports: in fencing, he won the Swiss championship title among juniors, and in 2010 he was part of the Olympic team of the ice hockey team.