For three days the best downhill skateboarders, lugers, gravity bike riders and inline skaters were given the opportunity to show what they could do.

While plenty of skilled and talented athletes felt the pain of hitting the hay bales, particularly at Forest Elbow, others experienced some of the best runs they had done anywhere in the world.

As one of the world’s leading female downhill skateboarders, Rebekka Gemperle was delighted by her first visit to Bathurst.

“This is my first Newton’s Playground event and I’m so excited by this track and so happy to be here,” she said.

Born in Switzerland and a professional rider for two years, Gemperle said the Mount Panorama circuit was one she would remember for a very long time to come.

“This is one of the coolest tracks I have ever raced down,” she said.

“It looks scary when you first look at it from the top, it is just like a roller coaster.

“But it is all a mind thing, once you get over that initial fear it is all really good.”

During second round qualifications on Saturday, Gemperle was at the top of the course at Skyline when the winds started gusting at 57 kilometres per hour.

But instead of being disrupted by the elements, the 25-year-old said she hardly noticed them when she began her run.

“When you get out there you really don’t feel the wind that much,” Gemperle said.

“I only really noticed it at the bottom along the final straight, it was a lot slower because of the wind.”

Just over a year ago Gemperle struggled to make the transition from dirtsurfer to downhill skateboarding.

Throughout the last year she gradually improved her skateboarding skills becoming faster and faster with each event.

On Saturday, Gemperle continue to develop, completing the 1.3 kilometre course in 70.49 seconds.

While still around three seconds slower than Brianne Davis (67.364), who is considered the fastest woman in the world, Gemperle said she felt as if she could finally match it with the best of the best.

“This is the first time I really felt like I could match it against people like Brianne Davies,” she said.

“I feel on the same level as her, I don’t just want to keep up with them.

“Although I am just happy to be out here giving it all a go and aiming for a podium finish.”