Balanche and Bächler win Downhill-SM

Camille Balanche and Yannick Bächler win the Swiss downhill championship titles in Leysin. Wind and weather make the task even more difficult and allow Switzerland's top riders to triumph.

Camille Balanche describes the Swiss Downhill Championships in Leysin as very changeable. Training and qualification take place on a wet track, then the wind dries it out, making the jumps very dangerous, before the finals there is some rain, strong winds characterize the final runs. In these advanced conditions, it is no surprise that the most internationally successful Swiss downhillers set the fastest times on the course: Camille Balanche, reigning world champion and current overall World Cup leader, completes the task with aplomb. "I hit my line, but I didn't want to overdo it either, because it was really quite dangerous," she says afterwards.
The new Swiss champion is Yannick Bächler. He also recently made a name for himself in the World Cup in Les Gets with a 21st place. The name Bächler is one to remember, as Yannick's younger brother Nicolas won the championship title in the highest junior category U19. There was only one athlete competing in the U19 women's category, which is why no title was awarded in this category.