Red Bull X-Alps
Records fall at Red Bull X-Alps 2023 as Maurer Claims his Eighth Win
Press Release / 20.06.2023
In scenes unequalled in Red Bull X-Alps history, dozens of athletes today landed on the finish float, just a day after Chrigel Maurer (SUI1) claimed his eighth victory yesterday.
For spectators and tourists, it provided a thrilling spectacle as athletes spiralled from the sky to land on a tiny floating platform. For athletes, it marked the end of an extraordinary and epic 1,223km odyssey around the Alps that began in Kitzbühel – Kirchberg, Austria, just a week ago.
For some it was an incredibly emotional moment. Tim Alongi (FRA4) was one of many athletes to break down in tears as he was embraced by his team. “I wish I had the word for this feeling of happiness, right now,” he said. “It was more than two years of sacrifice and of work. I could not have expected to finish this race.”
“This is one of the strongest emotions of my paragliding career,” said 37-year-old Pal Takats (HUN), a well-known figure in the scene. “It’s crazy – indescribable. It was always a dream to make goal, I missed it twice. It’s still hard to grasp it is reality now and it happened so quickly.”
Simon Oberrauner (AUT1) ‘drew’ a heart in the sky for his girlfriend Anna with his GPS tracklog. Swiss athlete Reto Reiser (SUI4) delighted crowds with his ‘Reto flip’, a signature frontflip he does on landing – which ended with him splashing in the water.
Last night 21 athletes pulled their Night Passes to hike through the night in push to make goal. Up front was a fierce four-way battle for second and third place between Damien Lacaze (FRA2), Maxime Pinot (FRA1), Pal Takats (HUN) and Patrick von Känel (SUI2). By making one last flight with a landing just before the official no-fly time at 21:00, Lacaze was able to secure a decisive lead. Overnight, he covered 80 km and climbed 2,200 meters in altitude. He reached the final Turnpoint Schmittenhöhe just after 03:00. Rather than wait to fly down at 06:00 and risk being caught by Pinot, he hiked down. Because the race is not over until athletes touch the finish float Lacaze then swam out to the float to officially claim 2nd place with a time of 6d 18h 5m.
“It was a great experience for me,” he said. “It was not a goal to make the podium, it was a dream too big, I only came for the adventure with my team, but I am very happy about it, if a bit tired to enjoy it.”
Pinot arrived within the hour, finishing with an official time of 6d 18h 47m. It marked a remarkable comeback for the French athlete, who looked like he’d fallen out of the rankings. "I'm happy to be here and thankful for my team. Without them I wouldn't make it, for sure. It was such a tough edition. I feel mentally dry now – no more fuel. I need to rest,” he said.
A Record Year
This year’s edition of the world’s toughest adventure race – which was marked by good weather throughout, has seen numerous records broken, including:
- The fastest finish – 6d 6h 1m, Chrigel Maurer (SUI1)
- The longest flight - 11h 13m / 266km set by Damien Lacaze (FRA2) on Day 5
With four more days of racing left for the eight remaining athletes on the course, two more records are likely by the end:
- The highest number of athletes to make goal. The previous record was 19 in 2015.
- The first female to reach goal. Eli Egger (AUT4) is currently just over 200km from Zell am See and could make it within two days.
Comments race co-founder Ulrich Grill. “This has proved to be an incredible edition of the Red Bull X-Alps. We have never seen scenes like this at the finish, with so many athletes arriving so soon after one another after a week of crossing the Alps. It’s unbelievable. I salute the achievement of all athletes and can’t wait to welcome the remaining athletes still battling to complete the course. We should see more than 20 make goal, a record in the race.”
Follow all the action via Live Tracking on redbullxalps.com, which is also home to the latest updates and athlete stats.
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