Holden claims downhill title

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American rider Katie Holden claimed the women's downhill event at the 2010 Pan American Mountain Bike Continental Championships. She defeated Lorena Dromundo (Mexico) and four cross winner Luana Oliveira (Brazil).

Holden's victory came after she had nearly crashed in her qualifying round. The near-miss gave her a better idea of how to approach her race-winning final run.

"I knew that my qualifier hadn't gone so well, hadn't gone as well as it could have, so I decided to do the final differently. I realized that I had to slow down to go faster, just be super smooth and concentrate on taking the best lines," said Holden.

"I know that I probably could have gone a lot faster, but this track can catch you off guard. So, I toned it back a bit, and the whole way down I was thinking 'tranquilo, tranquilo'..."

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