Minnesotans Naasz, Witty Reach Finals; Croxall Wins Again And Kyhala Tops Women At Red Bull Crashed Ice 2015 In Saint Paul
Red Bull Crashed Ice Saint Paul Airs Sunday, Jan. 25 at 3 pm CST on FOX
Jan 25, 2015, 01:38 ET
SAINT PAUL, Minn., Jan. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Minnesotans captured the imaginations of 140,000 passionate fans on a magical night in Saint Paul, as Cameron Naasz of Lakeville and Dan Witty of New Prague rode the energy of the home crowd to the final round at Red Bull Crashed Ice 2015. When the night was over, though, Canadian Kyle Croxall was again the last man standing, as he took the top spot in Saint Paul for the third time in four years. Fans can relive the action tomorrow, January 25 on FOX at 3:00PM CST. The race will re-air January 26 on FOX Sports 1 at 6:30PM CST.
"I got my hat trick in Minnesota this year. Apparently I like this course," said Croxall. "My confidence is up again, so that's good for Finland. We'll see what happens."
2015 was the first year to feature a full women's competition. 16 of the top female ice cross downhill riders entered Saturday night, with the winner earning a trip to Edmonton, Canada. Americans Sadie Lundquist and Sydney O'Keefe shined in front of their hometown crowds, reaching the semi-finals in exciting fashion. The women's final round featured three Canadian riders and Salla Kyhala of Finland. Kyhala displayed excellence in capturing the top spot and winning the female competition in Saint Paul.
"Every time you get up there you get pumped and nervous and get that adrenaline going," said Kyhala. "That's what I'm seeking. It was an amazing atmosphere today and the crowd was awesome."
The crowd, which was the largest ever at a Red Bull Crashed Ice event, was into the action early, as the first two rounds featured exciting upsets, nail-biting action, and impressive performances by the American riders. U.S. athletes Jonny Palmeri, Matt Johnson, Tommy Mertz and Adam Green all outperformed their rankings in the first round, building buzz for the Americans that would foreshadow what was to come.
The quarter-finals poised the first major challenge of the night for Naasz, who managed to maintain his balance through an early collision, but found himself in the third spot late in the run. Naasz engineered a masterful pass late in the course and raised his hands as he powered across the finish line ahead of the rest of the heat.
"I trained hard in the offseason, so I knew I had the legs," said Naasz. "I gave it everything I had. In training I practiced staying low and staying fast, and so I was able to carry a lot of momentum. I was pretty fired up."
The semi-finals were smoother sailing for Naasz. Despite a stacked heat, the hometown hero led wire to wire and set himself up with a return trip to the final round for the third year in a row.
All eyes were on Naasz to start the night, but Dan Witty did his part to capture the attention of the hometown crowd. Starting the night as an underdog in his first heat, Witty persevered round after round, skating with confidence and consistency to advance past the world's top riders. Excitement built each time the pride of New Prague finished in the top two in a heat, and the buzz reached its peak when Witty advanced passed the semi-finals into the final round.
"This is my third year in Saint Paul and last year I thought I could have done better. I've been thinking about that moment ever since and training hard for this season," said Witty. "I wanted to make the podium and it just feels great to do it in front of the home crowd here."
Opposing the two Americans – Cam Naasz and Dan Witty – in the finals were Kyle Croxall and Dean Moriarty of Canada. Crowd excitement was at its highest level as the Saint Paul Cathedral organ played "The Final Countdown" and locals anticipated the first American victory in the four-year history of the Saint Paul event. However, Naasz battled skate trouble and couldn't recover from an early hit to the boards. Witty held the third position throughout the race. At the end, Kyle Croxall's skill and experience persevered, as the Canadian won the Saint Paul race for the third time in four years. His other two victories came in 2012 and 2013.
B-Roll from tonight's event and an edited action clip from tonight's event will be available for download at www.redbullcrashedicenewsroom.com.
The Red Bull Crashed Ice tour has added a new stop to the 2015 schedule. The tour makes it way to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the first time in between its annual stops to Finland and Canada.
| The Red Bull Crashed Ice 2015 calendar is as follows: |
|
| January 24, 2015 |
Saint Paul, USA |
| February 7, 2015 |
Helsinki, Finland |
| February 21, 2015 |
Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| March 14, 2015 |
Edmonton, Canada |
Points are up for grabs at each of the four stops of the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship: the winner collects 1,000 points and competitors all the way down to 100th (0.5 point) can collect valuable points. The athletes that finishes the season with the most points after the four races is crowned champion.
For more information on Red Bull Crashed Ice, the U.S. qualifiers and global stops, please visit www.redbullcrashedice.com. For photography, footage and additional information on previous Red Bull Crashed Ice seasons, visit www.redbullcrashedicenewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Red Bull