Mountain Bike World Cup

Höll underlines her role as favorite in Leogang

Vali Höll was once again the fastest in the semi-final on Saturday.(Bild: MAblinger)

Favorite and local hero Vali Höll clearly won the semifinals at her home World Cup in Leogang. Final could be a great spectacle like last year. An American is the 22-year-old's biggest challenger.

Who if not the local hero Vali Höll? The 22-year-old downhiller won the semifinals at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang by 1.6 seconds and will be the last and biggest favorite in Sunday's race. Höll already won the qualification at midday, although she was seeded anyway. Despite difficult conditions (top riders such as Camille Balanche and Nina Hoffmann slipped on the course), Höll (Team YT Mob) left no doubt that she could repeat her victory from last year. "It was crisp. I just skied down safely," said the overall World Cup leader, summing up the day well. When the local heroine arrived at the finish line, it got really loud. "It's cool that so many people are already there on Saturday," said Höll in amazement.

Before the Leogang athlete had started, Anna Newkirk (USA) set a strong best time. The two of them and Tahnee Seagrave (third in the semi-finals, 3.3 seconds behind) will in all likelihood decide the winner on Sunday (14:15). Why shouldn't you miss the final? "Because it's the coolest sport there is," Höll replies glibly.