Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship 2012: Saint Paul

Canada’s Kyle Croxall upset defending champion Arttu Pihlainen of Finland in a thrilling Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship battle in front of a frozen but enthusiastic crowd of 80,000. The Americans embraced their first ice cross downhill race since 2004. Scott Croxall (CAN) finished third.

Kyle Croxall had a flawless run in the finals of the 2012 Red Bull Crashed Ice season opener on Saturday down the 406-meter long ice track filled with jumps, bumps and mind-boggling twists and turns, rallying from just behind the Finn to end Pihlainen’s three-race winning streak. Pihlainen lost his balance on a jump near the bottom for a split second and crashed hard into the boards. He fell to third place before recovering to win a photo finish for second ahead of Scott Croxall.