Erasing the memories of the worst crash of his career, North Vancouver's Kevin Reimer snatched back his Britannia Classic crown, winning the longboarding event's open division on Sunday (May 27).
At last year's race, Reimer shattered both his tibia and fibula in a semi-final race and was unable to move. He was eventually taken away by ambulance and forced to sit on the sidelines for the next six months.
I really tried to go into this race with a calm mind, he said. I wasn't really expecting to be in the finals but I think this shows everybody that you can come back.
Reimer said he was surprised to win the race for the fourth time in the five year history of the event.
It's a really hard injury to come back from but I'd been back skating for quite a bit, he said. I'm still missing strength in my leg but this is an injury I'm going to have to deal with for the rest of my life.
He said he should have a busy rest of the summer, as he hopes to takes part in the Whistler Longboard Festival, as well as events in Europe.
Patrick Switzer, Reimer's teammate and friend, won last year's race but fell short to his buddy this year. Switzer said if he had to lose, it's nice to lose to a guy like Reimer.
It's a great end to the story for Kevin, he said. He's a great competitor and it didn't feel the same last year without him in the final. I'm happy he's back.
Despite the second place finish, Switzer had high praise for the race and event organizer Lee Cation.
Britannia is bigger and better than ever, he said. Lee has done such a good job with this race and it's great to see all the young kids out. The sport is here to stay and they're the future of it.
Switzer placed second in the open divison, with 16-year-old Byron Essert from California finishing in third. Charlie Daigneault from the Sunshine Coast took home top prize in the women's division and said she had a fun day of racing.
It was a really close final race we had, it was super tight, she said. The second place rider was right on my butt the whole time and the finish was intense and super close.
She added that it's the first time in three years that she's made it to Britannia but it's still super gnarly, technical and one of the more challenging courses around.
Other winners included; Quinn Dubois from North Vancouver (Under 13), Johnas Richters (14 to 17) and Jeff Budro (Masters).
Cation praised the volunteers and said it was a day to remember.
I couldn't have written it any better, he said. The whole event went off so fabulous but it was a team effort and we'd also like to thank the town of Britannia for letting us put this race on.
Check the print edition of The Chief for more on this story.
