Kate Courtney wins the MTB World Cup

How can shine with a 5th place like that? By winning the World Cup with it! And that's exactly what the American Kate Courtney managed to do.

A week earlier, she had to watch as the 2018 world champion failed to reach the medal ranks at the MTB World Championship 2019 could drive. Now she had to hope for a lot of luck, because before the race the American was clearly behind the leader Jolanda Neff. Only a strong result and a weak performance by the Swiss could secure her the trophy. At the race, the usual suspects were ahead, especially now the particularly motivated Pauline Ferrand Prevot, who became world champion a week earlier and was still beaming. It's probably not a big surprise that she also won the race.

But what was wrong with Jolanda Neff, she rode in the race asbald far behind the top and should have no say this weekend when it comes to victory or defeat. For Kate Courtney it was a chance to win the World Cup after all, but she had to make up a 73 point deficit in the World Cup. Of that, she had already pulled away to 20 points thanks to a 3rd place finish in Friday's Short Circuit race and a 16th place finish by Jolanda Neff. Even a slightly better result would be enough, but she could not rest on her laurels, so she once again gave everything she could. In addition, some favorites were breathing down her neck, which could hand her back, such as Jenny Rissveds, who got a flat tire in the last lap and despite the mishap moved up to a respectable 7th place. The Swede could consider herself lucky anyway, she had won the short track race on Friday.

With the last energy reserves, the American Kate Courtney fought her way to the finish line in fifth place. Now everything depended on the result of the Swiss Jolanda Neff, who despite an attempt to catch up did not make it to the front and finished eleventh. For Courtney, this meant the victory in the MTB Women's Elite World Cup and a compensation for the missed medal at the World Championships. For Jolanda Neff it was the year of the 2nd places - second at the World Championships, second in the world rankings, second in the World Cup.