Cannonball Festival Day 5 - Aus Open Downhill
Cannonball's peak event didn't disappoint with Frew and A'Hern claiming emphatic wins on the festival's final day.
Words by Georgina von Marburg
Images by Amelia Howler
The Australian Open Downhill was run and won today at Cannonball Festival in spectacular, summer conditions. After last minute practice this morning, deep ruts had been formed in in the downhill track’s newest section, the infamous “grassy chute.” (You can see just how infamous it is in Jack Moir’s raw footage.) With so many potential winners in the men’s and women’s fields, the tension was high as riders committed to their final line choices.
Jackson Frew went one second slower than his seeding run, but still wrangled the win over South Australian Connor Fearon and Canberra boy Kye A’Hern. In the women’s, Sian A’Hern laid down a silky smooth run on the merciless track. The ultra-consistent 2x National DH Champ put 10 seconds into her closest rival Tegan Malloy, with Ellie Smith a further 2 seconds behind in 3rd.
The action continued into the evening with ex-cover boy Timmy Eaton taking out the Whip Wars as hundreds of rowdy spectators looked on. Suffice to say, it’s great to have events pumping at Thredbo again!
With Ryan Gilchrist and Luke Meier-Smith still buzzing from their Pump Track Party performances, all eyes were on the duo to see who would claim the overall King of Cannonball. But it was Meier-Smith who would clinch the overall with an impressive 4th place in the Downhill. Unsurprisingly, Ellie Smith claimed the Queen of Cannonball after consistent podiums across all events.
Full results can be found here.
And check out all the action from the festival’s days below:
