Switzerland's Kilian Braun has made a heart-warming comeback into the elite ranks of Ice Cross Downhill this season and the former carpenter-turned-ski instructor has proven that he is anything but "over the hill" at the age of 28 in the increasingly competitive sport. Braun was once one of the top racers in the world's fastest sport on skates, taking fifth place overall back in 2011 before falling all the way to 29th in 2015 as a new generation of hungry and hard-charging youngsters took over in the last few seasons.
Braun, now in his sixth Red Bull Crashed Ice season, admits he was close to quitting the sport after 2015 as he suffered one defeat after another watching the young bucks of the sport like Scott Croxall (25), Cameron Naasz (26), Dean and Dylan Moriarity (23) repeatedly leaving him far behind on the downhill ice tracks, where the racers hit high speeds while jumping and bumping into obstacles in front of frenzied spectators.
On Friday Braun posted the third fastest time in the shootout behind only Naasz and Finland's Markus Juola.
"Last season was really lousy for me," said Braun, who has nevertheless bounced back strongly and is in sixth place overall this season. "I'm not sure what happened last year. I wasn't really well-prepared for last season and injuries caused me problems too. During the summer, I thought long and hard about the question: Should I give it all up or keep going? And if I was going to continue, then I wanted to do it right and really work a lot harder at it."
He more than doubled his training in the off-season, following the lead set by the sport's top athletes who spend 20 hours or more each week working out for the winter season.
"I told myself if I'm going to carry on then I'm going to do it right," said Braun, who trained all summer on inline skates and pump tracks along with downhill bike racing in his Alpine country. "It was enormously helpful. I felt it right away at the first race this season in Quebec City that all that hard work was paying off."
Braun (second from right) had a flying start in Quebec City, securing a fifth-place finish. Photo: Sebastian Marko/Red Bull Content Pool.
He was fifth in Quebec City, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since getting eighth place at the final race of the 2014 season in Quebec City. Consistent again this season, he made it to the semi-final in Munich at the second Red Bull Crashed Ice of this season, taking eighth place.
"My goal is to be no worse than sixth overall this season and hopefully I can move up even a bit higher," said Braun, who added he believes the longest ever track in Finland, some 630 meters, would suit his downhill strengths well.
Braun has a unique background for Ice Cross Downhill with his extensive skiing experience combined with hockey. "I'd think that all my skiing and hockey experience would be perfect for this sport," he said. "There are just so many really good guys out here nowadays. But all the hard work has definitely paid off."
A Braun fighter - Kilian (far left) is battling his way back into the Ice Cross Downhill elite this season. Photo: Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool.
Braun's comeback this season is especially interesting because many other top racers from years long past have since quietly retired, unable to keep up with the young bucks of the sport. Riders who were once virtually unbeatable have retired: Finland's Arttu Pihlainen, Sweden's Jasper Felder, and Canada's Gabriel Andre. Other former race winners such as Finland's Miikka Jouhkimainen, Germany's Martin Niefnecker and Canada's Adam Horst are still taking part but have fallen off the pace and rarely reach get beyond the quarter-finals at best.
"The development of this sport has been incredible," said Braun. "It's exciting to watch how many more people are interested in Ice Cross Downhill and how many more people want to take part.
WATCH IT LIVE: Red Bull Crashed Ice Jyväskylä-Laajis will broadcast live on redbullcrashedice.com and Red Bull TV at 7:15pm CET on January 30. Red Bull TV is available on connected TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and more. For a full list of supported devices, visit about.redbull.tv.
US fans please note that the live webcast and replay is geo-blocked in the US due to an exclusive broadcast deal with FOX Sports. The event will air on FOX Sports 1 on Monday, February 15 at 4:30pm EST. Following this it will be available on demand at Red Bull TV.
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