Leov and Harper blaze to super D titles

The super D event was held for the first time as a national championship in New Zealand on Friday. It attracted a broad range of entrants including World Cup top 10 athletes, former world championship medalists, local trail chargers and international dark horses. Best described as a mongrel mix of the best components of downhill and cross country race courses, the super D is a downhill endurance event, designed to bring cross country and downhill racers onto an even footing.

Justin Leov had the pace right through the evening, and demolished the field with a blistering run of seven minutes and 15 seconds. No-one got close, with the gap back to second place Kieran Bennett at 13 seconds.

Leov was absolutely complementary of this style of racing. "This suits my strengths, and I think is more enjoyable for me than downhill racing. I look forward to seeing more of these types of events offerred."

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Women's winner Harriet Harper also put daylight between herself and the rest of the women's field. Harper is racing with solid form despite having training and racing time minimised with work committments, but she blitzed to a time that placed her 21st overall in the 48 strong men's and women's entry list.

Racers faced hot, windy and dry trail conditions.

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