The Isle of Man hosted the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship last weekend.
More than 50 athletes took part, reaching speeds of more than 100 km/h as they dashed down part of the Mountain Course between Guthrie’s and Ramsey Hairpin.
Throughout qualifying on Friday and Saturday, competitors from 17 different nations around the world battled through heats of four as they advanced toward the finals.
The final day – Sunday - produced several standout moments and a handful of big upsets, with athletes eliminated along the way.
Local success
There was local success in the open luge QS class where Juan Callister finished on the podium in third place behind Ian Martland and winner Loreline Pastor.
Skateboard semi-finals
In the skateboard division, the first semi-final saw Adrien Paynel (France), Lucas Schuldt and Antonio Madariaga (USA), and Stefano Barbizzi go head-to-head for a place in the final.
Paynel got off to a strong start and took an early lead, with Barbizzi and Madariaga close behind. Paynel extended his advantage as the race went on, while Schuldt pushed his way ahead of Madariaga.
Paynel proved unstoppable, crossing the finish line in first place, followed by Schuldt in second. Madariaga held on for third despite a late surge, with Barbizzi finishing fourth.
The second semi-final pitted two American riders, Owen Fox and Nick Broms, against Harry Clarke of Australia and Antoine Carlotti of France.
Clarke seized an early lead as Carlotti, Broms and Fox battled closely behind him. Clarke held on to finish first, with Broms crossing in second - both advancing to the final. Fox came home in third and Carlotti finished fourth.
The consolation final, which decided fifth through eighth overall, saw Fox and Carlotti ride side by side through the opening section until Fox opened up a lead.
Carlotti stayed glued to him before seizing his opportunity to overtake. He held the advantage all the way to the finish line, with Fox settling for second, Schuldt in third and Madariaga in fourth.
An epic final unfolded on a packed course as Adrien Paynel, Harry Clarke, Nick Broms and Stefano Barbizzi battled for the podium.
Clarke made a great start, with Paynel directly on his tail, Broms closing in behind and Barbizzi at the back.
The order held through the Gooseneck before Paynel found a way past to take the lead, with Clarke fighting to stay with him. Paynel took the win, with Clarke crossing in second, Broms in third and Barbizzi in fourth.
In the luge division, the first semi-final was contested between Andy Lally (USA), Nicholas Kamink (Canada), Arkadiusz Kowalski (Poland) and Ulrich Becker (Germany). Lally took an early lead, with Kamink close behind in second.
The pair held their positions approaching the final hairpin and both locked down their places in the final.
The second semi-final saw UK rider Josh Fieldwick face Abdil Mahdzan (Malaysia), Kolby Parks (Canada) and Loreline Pastor (France). Mahdzan led from the front throughout, with Parks close behind him.
The pair extended their lead and advanced to the final, eliminating Fieldwick and Pastor, who moved into the consolation final.
The consolation final saw Fieldwick take the lead at the start, before Becker closed in and grabbed it from him at the first turn.
Becker held on all the way to the finish line, with Kowalski crossing in second, Fieldwick in third and Pastor in fourth.
Andy Lally, Abdil Mahdzan, Kolby Parks and Nicholas Kamink were ready for a major final battle.
Mahdzan pushed forward at the start, with Lally just a touch behind him. Lally then edged into the lead with an exceptional pass right before the Gooseneck.
But Mahdzan wasn’t willing to settle for second, pushing back in front to reclaim the advantage and leaving Lally to settle for second place. Kamink took third, with Parks in fourth.
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