American snapped his chain at start of downhill final
Aaron Gwin (USA) Specialized Racing DH (Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Aaron Gwin (Specialized Racing) won his second World Cup of the year on Sunday in Leogang Salzbergerland, Austria, but perhaps more remarkable than his 0.045 second margin of victory was the manner in which he achieved the result.
After a strong qualifying run that put him in pole position, Gwin took to the start house last, chasing Australian Connor Fearon's time of 3:34.399. The clock counted down to zero and Gwin bolted out of the gate, but immediately looked down, knowing something was wrong.
Dangling from his bike was the remnants of his chain, which had snapped under the pressure of his start. Undeterred, the 27-year-old World Cup leader blasted down the mountain, unbelievably edging Fearon out of the victory by fractions of a second.
Remi Thirion of France finished third with 3:35.684.
Gwin now has two wins and one second place in Fort William to lead the standings with 624 points over Loic Bruni’s 435.
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