SWEDEN’S Mauritz Armfelt capped off a dominant weekend at the Newton’s International Downhill Federation (IDF) World Cup event on Mount Panorama with victory in Sunday’s four-man final.
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In a race worthy of been the weekend’s finale, Armfelt held on by just 0.01 of a second over a fast-finishing Kyle Wester (USA).
Home city competitor Mitch Thompson had made steady improvement throughout the weekend and timed his run to perfection to come away with third place – just metres off the leading duo at the finish line.
Daniel Engel (USA) slipped out of the hunt early on in the decider.
Armfelt had another reason to smile after breaking the track record in Saturday’s qualifiers thanks to a run of 58.37 seconds.
You couldn’t wipe the smile off a delighted Armfelt following the final.
“It’s so much fun riding this track. I just take racing the way it comes. I try to do my best and see how long it takes me but winning a World Cup, I’ve been dreaming about that since I’ve started. This is my first World Cup win and it feels so good because I really like this hill,” he said.
“I love the vibe here and I really want to come back next year because it’s so much fun.
“Usually track are three minutes long, and that’s fun too, but this is so special because once you’re on the track you’re in it. It’s so fast and in a minute it’s over.
“You have to make your moves really fast and you have to make a decision and stick with it, and hope it’s the right one.
“The road is so smooth … and it’s so much fun to ride. It’s like riding a pool table, if the pool table was really gnarly and had a bunch of curves.”
Armfelt thought Wester pipped him on the Conrod Straight finish line but had a pleasant shock when he saw the replay.
“Kyle and I played a different game. He really enjoys being in the back and smoking everyone by the end of the race. I even thought he’d won it,” he said.
“As I went back down the hill they were like ‘You got it!’ and I was like ‘No! No! Really?’ and then they showed me the video.”
Abdil Mahdzan (MAS) had been a force in the luge event since Friday and kept his strong form going throughout the weekend to claim the final.
Taylor Cook (AUS) claimed the juniors prize while the fastest woman of the event was Emily Pross (USA).
Alex Charleson (CAN) won the consolation final ahead of Connor Ferguson (AUS) and Jackson Shapiera (AUS).