Source: press release
The UCI Mtb Val di Sole 2016 World Championship opens in the sign of Italy downhill thanks to the splendid victory of Alessia Missiaggia from Bolzano (photo) in the junior women's category. The 17-year-old resident of Bolzano has already been a protagonist in the European Cup with three successes and a third place in the overall World Cup this year in Lenzerheide in Switzerland. Today the big business is a bit of a surprise. Yesterday she set the fifth fastest time in timed qualifying but this morning she was the protagonist of a perfect race with downhill lines that were impossible for her rivals to repeat. She finished the race in 5'29”011. For Italy she is the first gold medal in Downhill after 23 years. The last of hers had been conquered by the Veronese Giovanna Bonazzi who witnessed the victory of her youngest colleague.
The silver went to the American Samantha Kingshill (+11 ”946) and the bronze to the French Flora Leosin (+25” 960), victim of a fall two days ago with consequent transfer by helicopter to the Trento hospital for investigations. Fourth the other blue Beatrice Migliorini (+39 ”338) today unable to repeat the great performance in the tests where she had obtained the second time.
The new world champion downhill juniors he has been competing for three years and normally trains around Bolzano and in Trentino. He studied at the Rainerum in Bolzano and will now move to Canada to Nova Scotia to study and train.
At 12.40 with the Elite women race and at 13.45 with the Elite men race the 2016 Val di Sole Mtb World Championship will go live. Thousands of spectators thronged in the parterre and along the Black Snake, the craziest and wildest track in the world MTB. Where only the great champions win.
