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Joined: 11 Dec 2005
Posts: 11
Location: California
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Edstrand Takes 2005 IGSA Championship
Cape Town Favorite Wins South African World Cup Race
December 11, 2005, Cape Town, South Africa� Thomas Edstrand of Vancouver, Canada, earned the 2005 IGSA Downhill Skateboarding World Cup Series Championship today at �Hot Heels Africa� outside of Cape Town�without leaving Vancouver!
Mike Zietsman, a South African native, was the overall winner of the �Hot Heels Africa� International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) World Cup Series Championship Race. Zietsman of Hout Bay, South Africa, earned a very close victory over Luis Lins from Sao Paulo, Brazil. In the Semi Finals, number one qualifier and former IGSA World Champion Martin Siegrist was involved in a big crash with local favorite Stuart Bradburn of Cape Town. Both skaters recovered from their accident but were knocked out of the final.
In the World Cup showdown, Thomas Edstrand had already announced he would be missing this weekend�s event. So the stage was set for Sebastian �Bassi� Haller, of Germany, to take the 2005 IGSA Championship. Haller only needed to finish fourth or better to take the crown, and was a favorite by many to win the 2005 IGSA Cup. But Haller was a last-minute scratch from the field because his wife is expecting to have the couple�s second child at any moment. Bassi opted to stay at her side in Stuttgart, Germany. With Haller absent, Edstrand had enough series points to win the 2005 IGSA World Cup Series title.
�What an incredible way to end the season,� stated IGSA President Marcus Rietema. �We had a great battle today with Zietsman coming out on top. Edstrand winning the 2005 IGSA World Cup sets the stage for incredible downhill skateboard racing next year,� said Rietema.
The event was organized by the South African Gravity Racing Association (SAGRA) and was run in the Kogelberg Biosphere Nature Reserve, about 80 km (50mi) outside of Cape Town. Competitors raced on a 1.9 km (1.2mi) road that cut right through the nature reserve. Top speeds for downhill skateboarding were in the 70km/h (44mph) plus range.
The International Gravity sports Association (IGSA) is an international sanctioning body for gravity racing sports, athletes and events. IGSA events involve head to head downhill racing competitions where participants routinely reach speeds in excess of 110km/h (65mph) as they hurtle themselves down mountain roads negotiating ninety degree bends and hairpin corners.
For additional information on this event and SAGRA go to www.sagra.co.za. For complete results, information on gravity racing sports, event stats and IGSA info, go to www.gravity-sports.com. |
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