Red Bull PlayStreets 2023
The event already exceeded all expectations, because, for the first time in Red Bull PlayStreets history, female and male athletes were competing together at the Best Trick Session. Moreover, the completely redesigned track had pimped up some surprising features. Apart from the fact that the athletes accelerated from the start up to 70 km/h in less than 2 seconds with the help of a winch, to hit the obstacles of the track in the best possible way right from the start, a trampoline was also added to the playground of the run to boost the epicness of the tricks to a whole new level.
As far as we can tell, there were no limits to creativity for the Freeski elite.
Already on Thursday, the day before the big finals, the Freeski girls and boys stunned the judges and audience at the Best Trick Session on the Big Air and Oakley Wallride, the third and fourth obstacle of the track.
Blue Tomato Team Rider Matěj Švancer impressed with a terrific Nose Butter Double Cork 1260 atthe Big Air. "A dream come true!"- says Matějafter his well-deserved victory.
Jesper Tjäder delivered the best trick on the Oakley Wallride - an incredible Stall to Switch Backflip.
Girls are players too - this was clearly shown by Sarah Höfflin, Swiss Olympic Champion of 2018, who directly took both wins of the Best Trick Session with her Hand Plant on the nine-meter high Oakley Wallride and a smooth Switch Cork 720 Mute on the Big Air.
The unique atmosphere at the finals
During the finals on Friday, the thousands of spectators didn't let the icy temperatures dampen their enthusiasm and cheered on the world's best freestyle boys and girls during their runs through the streets of Bad Gastein. Not less than spectacular runs, breathtaking tricks, and exciting head-to-head heats were on the agenda.
After the Round of 16, the scores from the quarterfinals, and the heats from the first semi-finals, it was clear that Matěj Švancer had secured 4th place at the Red Bull PlayStreets 2023, his third 4th place after the X- Games and Laax.
Switzerland's Kim Gubser made it to 3rd place with 261 points, paving the way for an epic final run between Andri Ragettli and Jesper Tjäder, who ultimately took the win by 3 points, sending Andri Ragettli to 2nd place.
Thus, Sweden's Jesper Tjäder became the winner of Red Bull PlayStreets 2023 and, after his victory in 2017, secures his second own star on the legendary Red Bull PlayStreets Wall of Fame.
Results from Friday's Main Event:
Jesper Tjaeder (SWE) 285 points
Andri Ragettli (SUI) 282 points
Kim Gubser (SUI) 261 points
Matěj Švancer (AUT) 259 points
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To sum up
Red Bull Playstreets 2023 in Bad Gastein has truly been something special - or as Tim Warwood (Red Bull Livestream Speaker at the event) put it simply:
A brilliant shmorgishborg of Freeski skullduggery has gone down here!
