In the Moscow stage of the 2011 Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship, Belarusian athlete Sergei Gromov entered the final, but did not pass 1/16.
On Saturday 26 February, Finnish athlete Arttu Pihlainen scored his second victory in the 2011 Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship in Moscow, cementing his leading position with a triumph in the third stage of the season. At minus 22 degrees Celsius, he beat Kyle Croxall (CANADA) and Kylian Brown (SWITZERLAND). Russian Pavel Kryukov received the honorary MINI Rooky Award for the best newcomer to the track.
To see firsthand a unique technical structure 350 meters long, consisting of 650 bearing supports and more than 400 polycarbonate plates, fastened by 20,000 fixing screws, covered with 2000 sq.m. ice 10 cm thick, on which 64 world athletes competed, it was necessary to come to Kolomenskoye in a frost of -22 degrees. There were many such brave souls - more than 5,000 people. The spectacle was worth it - the Moscow stage of the 2011 Red Bull Crashed Ice Downhill Ice Skating Championships is the last before the final in Quebec, and the guys fought to the death for a place on the track and for the points that they carried into the piggy bank of their national teams.
An incredibly beautiful track and an enchanting light show only emphasized the tough struggle that unfolded on the ice. The athletes had not only to overcome the crushing obstacles that the descent spoiled, but also to fight the Russian winter and dry Moscow air, which at a temperature of -22 itself becomes one of the most difficult obstacles. Of the 24 Russian athletes who reached the main stage of the competition, only the favorite of the Russian national team, Andrei Lavrov, reached the semifinals, significantly improving his own result in Valkenburg. “An excellent race and an excellent track, despite the frost and hard ice, - says Andrey, - it's a shame that I could not reach the final, but Canada is ahead of me. It will be much harder there, as the track is almost 200 meters longer and harder over the obstacles, so let's see what happens there. I don’t want to guess yet.”
A hot Finnish guy, firefighter, and part-time championship leader Arttu Pichlainen (FINLAND), and his constant rival this season Kyle Croxall (CANADA), Kylian Brown (SWITZERLAND) and Fabian Meds (GERMANY) they all managed to make it to the final, which is an excellent result for the four leading nations in this sport. And just like in the previous race, which took place three weeks ago in Valkenburg, NETHERLANDS, Arttu Pichlainen managed to climb to the top of the podium for the fourth time in his sports career. In unusually cold weather, the Finnish athlete was the first to complete an almost flawless race on a risky track built near the former summer residence of the Russian tsars. “It was so cold it was literally breathtaking and the ice was crumbling like glass, but the race was just great!” Said Artu.
Ahead of the season finale in Quebec (CANADA) on March 19, Pihlainen is leading the championship in three races this year in Munich (GERMANY), Valkenburg (NETHERLANDS) and Moscow (RUSSIA), 300 points ahead of Kyle Croxall (2500 points) and his brother Scott (1590 points).
The general position of the Red Bull Crashed Ice Championship participants: 1. Arttu Pichlainen (FINLAND / 2800 points), 2. Kyle Croxall (CANADA / 2500 points), 3. Scott Croxall (CANADA / 1590 points), 4. Lucas Kolk (CZECH REPUBLIC / 1250 points), 5. Kylian Brown (SWITZERLAND / 1220 points), 6. Larry Jutsenlahti (FINLAND / 1080 points)
