Ronnie Renner downs Josh Hansen in enthralling final to claim Moto X Step Up gold – X Games news
America’s Ronnie Renner claimed the X Games gold after besting fellow-countryman and arch-rival Josh Hansen in a thrilling Moto X Step Up final that went down at the Palau Sant Jordi Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on Sunday, May 19, 2013.
“That was a battle, probably one of the hardest battles I've had,” Renner said during his post-final interview. “[Hansen's] a sharp rider; I knew he'd get this step up thing figured out.”
Finished behind Renner and Hansen in third place and thus completing the all-American podium was Matt Buyten, who walked away with a bronze medal for his effort.
With some of the best and most exciting motocross riders stepping into the contention for the coveted Moto X Step Up gold at X Games Barcelona, the crowd in attendance at the Palau Sant Jordi Stadium had no doubt about that heavy dose of entertainment that
was coming their way.
As the proceedings got underway, Renner wasted no time in announcing himself as the heavy favourite. He was the only one among the six finalists who managed to clear the bar up to 31 feet on his very first attempt.
Palmer was the first one to get eliminated during the finals, after he failed to clear the bar at 27 feet. Foster soon followed him after succumbing to the challenge of clearing the bar at 29 feet. Both Podmol and Buyten appeared clueless once the bar was
raised to 31 feet and thus dropped out.
Out of the six riders in the final field, only Renner and Hansen remained in contention for the highest place on the podium, which resulted in the first-ever jump off in the event’s history.
During last month’s X Games Foz do Iguacu in Brazil, Hansen’s sledging had caused Renner to lose his cool, which eventually led him to drive his bike straight in his rival’s bike.
Before attempting to clear the bar at 31 feet on Sunday, Hansen had stated that he had let his mouth do a lot of talking in Brazil, but now, he was going to let his riding do the talking.
After failing to clear the bar at 32 feet during the jump off, he left the window of opportunity open for Renner, which the latter successfully capitalised on to claim the gold medal.
During his post-final interview, Hansen admitted that he had been defeated by the best and was going to use this defeat as a motivation to work even harder and come back stronger than ever.
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