– Pee test, photos and beer, said national team coach Marius Åker at the top of the track before Marcus Kleveland was to set off downhill in Aspen for the last time this week.
– And beer yes? It will at least be beer, Marcus Kleveland replied.
By then, Norway’s undisputed juniper on a snowboard had already secured the victory in another race, even before he was to run the last run.
In addition, with Saturday’s victory, he has secured enough points to qualify for the Olympics in Beijing next year. He also leads the World Cup overall.
The end of dream week
This was the end of a dream week in Aspen for Kleveland. Friday the week before he won World Cup gold in the same place in the same exercise when he had the competition’s two highest scores, before he on Tuesday took bronze in the big air.
– It feels fantastic to have won. Aspen is one of my favorite places, and now there are Easter vibes here. It was a good day, said Kleveland after the World Cup gold was secured on Friday.
SUPERIOR: Marcus Kleveland was in a class of his own in Saturday’s competition.
Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB
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That it is one of his favorite places became clear when he also won on Saturday.
– It feels incredible to leave this place with three medals. I’m super happy with today. It was a bit difficult with the wind, but we all came down safely, Kleveland told the organizer after the race.
Won despite difficult conditions
The commentators were also impressed by what the Norwegian achieved.
– We bend in the hat, the dust and what is, said Jonas Greve.
– It’s just a matter of taking off your hat for Marcus Kleveland. Not only what he achieves on the board, but also the competition head he has built up in recent weeks, said Silje Norendal after the victory was secured.
Saturday’s competition was characterized by heavy conditions. The temperature had crept to over 18 degrees during the days in Aspen, which made the snow difficult to handle for otherwise safe snowboarders. In addition, there was a strong wind in the facility.
Several of the athletes fell and struggled to get very good scores. In the end, Kleveland won with 87.58 points, ahead of Redmond Gerard from the USA and Mark McMorris from Canada.
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