Engen wins first women's eliminator world championship

Alexandra Engen (Sweden) won the first-ever elite women's eliminator world championship in downtown Saalfelden, Austria on Sunday afternoon. U23 cross country world champion Jolanda Neff (Switzerland) finished in second place ahead of Alexandra Dawidowicz (Poland) in third.

The beaming Swede said after the race that her victory had not yet sunk in. "It's been an awesome day. I'm always really nervous before the qualifying because you never know if you have the legs," she said. "After qualifying, I knew I had good legs. My German team Ghost was here helping me, and I could totally focus on the race."

Engen qualified fastest earlier in the afternoon and seemed to move easily through each of her rounds. However, she met her toughest match upon reaching the finals with Neff. Engen led out the two-lap finale, but Neff was glued to her back wheel. At the sharp corner just after one lap to go, Neff jumped around Engen to the wild cheers of the crowd.

But it wasn't over. On the last lap, Engen came back around Neff and seemed like she might take it for good this time. However, the unrelenting Neff put on the gas and got around Engen again. Then Engen turned on the afterburners and put it in drag race mode to power around Neff just in time for the finish.

"You never know the outcome in a sprint because it's so tight and short, and Jolanda gave me a hard time," said Engen, who described her final lap with its constant lead changes. "It was like heart attack, euphoria, heart attack, euphoria... I searched the opportunities and took them when I could."

Neff was pleased with her silver. "It's been a great time here, and I enjoyed the race," she said. "It was a great atmosphere. Everything I had today, I gave, but Alexandra was faster. I was happy with my finish."

Because the women's race was run before the men's race, Engen became the first-ever eliminator world champion.

Bronze medallist Dawidowicz surprised herself by making the podium and winning a medal. "I'm happy with bronze. I never expected to win a medal," she Dawidowicz.

Second place qualifier Jenny Rissveds (Sweden), who has had success in the World Cup eliminator, was eliminated in the second round upon crashing.

Four cross world champion Anneke Beerten (Netherlands) and and third placed qualifier Lea Davison (United States) also didn't advance to to the third round. Beerten wasn't fast enough while Davison seemed fast enough but after leading, got passed and then caught behind two Swiss riders who shut the door on all passing opportunities.

Huge crowds came out on a beautiful sunny day to watch the racing, drink beer, eat at outdoor cafes and hang out. The booming music of the PA system contributed to the party-like atmosphere.

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