Dean Moriarity and his brother, Dylan, have been racing against each other since before they were even born! Even though they are identical twins, Dean is proud of the fact that he was born "a day ahead" of his 'younger' brother Dylan – even though they were actually born only 17 minutes apart.
Canada's dynamic duo, twin brothers Dean and Dylan Moriarity, have set the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship on fire this year in only their third season with one incredible performance after another. Extremely competitive since birth, both are in ascending form going into the final Red Bull Crashed Ice race of the season, as the world's fastest sport on skates hits Edmonton. They were both on the podium together for the first time at the last race in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 20-year-olds have delighted crowds around the world, not only with their scintillating racing but also with their flamboyant high-flying tricks – they sometimes give the crowd a high-jump heel kick over the jumps when they're comfortably in the lead. The Moriaritys, pint-sized powerhouses, standing just 5ft 7in tall and weighing just 150 pounds, have made a big impression on the sport's top athletes with their fast-improving performances.
"I was born first by 17 minutes, but I was born before midnight so I tell everyone that I'm a day older than my brother," said Dean, who was born on September 11, 1994, while Dylan's birthday is September 12.
"I'm the younger brother, but only by a couple of minutes," said Dylan. He notes that there are several other brother pairs in the Ice Cross Downhill World Championship where the older brother had the better results at first, but the younger brother is now starting to eclipse the older sibling – and Dylan wants to keep that trend going. Scott Croxall has overtaken 2012 world champion Kyle Croxall in the 2015 world championship standings and Luca Dallago beat his brother, the 2014 world champion Marco Dallago, at the last race in Belfast. "For now I'm still behind my brother," says Dylan, who is sixth overall in the world championship compared to second for Dean. "But I'm looking to change that."
Dylan was ahead of Dean for the first time at the last race in Belfast, taking second behind Scott Croxall, while Dean ended up third. "It was great to be on the podium with my brother but I was really happy to beat him for the first time in a Red Bull Crashed Ice race," said Dylan, who took important points away from Dean in his bid to try to win the 2015 Ice Cross Downhill World Championship. There are no "team orders" as far as these hugely competitive twins from Montreal are concerned.
"Because of my competitiveness, my goals are always high and I always want to be the best," said Dylan Moriarity. "Sitting in sixth place overall right now, I'm a long shot for the title, but it's still within reach with two races to go. Every year I'm always looking to beat my previous results and to see the improvements that I've worked on in the summer."
Dean did his first race in Niagara Falls in 2013, where he was 16th, and has done 13 ice cross downhill races so far (four more than Dylan), showing rapid improvement. He says he loves the "crazy tracks" built for the athletes, travelling the world, meeting new people and making new friendships. But he says there's nothing comparable "to the rush you get coming down these tracks." The only thing he doesn't like is getting knocked out from behind when he's leading in his heat. "That's part of racing, but it's really frustrating."
Dean, who took a break from his studies in aeronautical engineering to race full-time this winter, was delighted to be on the podium in Belfast with his brother and said no one should be surprised to see them both in the podium again in Edmonton – but of course Dean wants to be a step higher than Dylan. "My goal this year is to try to beat Scott Croxall for the world title," said Dean. "It's very possible you'll see me and my brother on the podium again in Edmonton. It's a Canadian race and the hometown advantage will be a big plus for us."
Dylan, who, like Dean, has taken a break from his studies in mechanical engineering, is also confident that their growing prowess along with the big Canada support at home for the final Red Bull Crashed Ice race of the year will be a major advantage. "We're both getting better and better at every race," said Dylan, who also like Dean has had a part-time job working at Montreal airport. "And with the quick starts, I think it's very possible that you'll see us both on the podium again. Because it's a home race in Canada, it'll give all the Canadian riders an extra adrenaline rush."
Dylan, who has taken part in nine races so far, says that his mother taught the twins to skate when they were about three years old and family life at home was competitive from the start. "My mum was a great hockey player and taught me and my brother how to skate," he said. "My uncle played professional hockey in Europe and is one of the fastest skiers I know, so it all runs in the family."
Missed the Moriaritys' performance at the last Red Bull Crashed Ice in Belfast? Watch the race again in full via our Video On Demand service.
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