World Downhill Skateboarding Championship — Tamanique, El Salvador

Saturday delivered a full day of racing at the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship in Tamanique, El Salvador. The action continued with the completion of the Qualifying Series finals, featuring 29 athletes in the Open Skate division and 6 athletes in the Open Luge division.

In Open Skate, all 29 riders fought their way through the elimination brackets, narrowing the field to an intense final four: Nick Broms, Lucas Schuldt, Morgan Smith, and Esneider Osorno. The final run down the demanding 2.2-kilometre Tamanique course delivered high drama and world- class racing.

Nick Broms (USA) took a commanding victory, crossing the line in 1st place, followed by Esneider Osorno (Colombia) in 2nd. Morgan Smith secured 3rd place after Lucas Schuldt was disqualified for coming into contact with Smith, leaving him in 4th.

In the QS Open Luge final, Frederik Laberge (Canada) was unstoppable, blasting through the finish line to claim 1st place. He was followed closely by fellow Canadian Raylan English in 2nd, with Tatyana Hill (Canada) securing 3rd, and Camilo Montes (Colombia) finishing 4th after a strong performance on the Tamanique course.

With the Qualifier Series now complete, the focus shifts to the pinnacle of the event: the Championship Tour. This afternoon will feature the official timing round, followed by full elimination rounds tomorrow, where the world’s best downhill athletes will battle for the Championship Tour titles.

The energy is rising in El Salvador as the competition moves into its most decisive stage.

Today we are starting the Championship Tour. This works the following way:

All athletes compete in Q1. The athletes descend the course one by one, and the top 20 fastest athletes advance to Q2.

In Q2 the athletes again descend one by one, and the fastest athletes advance to Q3.

The top athletes from Q3 then again descend one by one, and are are all seeded by the time that they have achieved.

With these timings, they are seeded into the full CT competition bracket that takes place on Sunday. Having the fastest time gives the riders the advantage of being well seeded into the main event.