The joy of Sammie Maxwell
Speedy Kiwi races to breakout 2nd place performance in Araxá short track
Samara Maxwell lost the sprint this afternoon in the Araxá short track World Cup, but second place was more than enough for the Speedy Kiwi.
Winner Evie Richards led out the sprint once she rounded the final grass corner into the finish straight, and Maxwell didn’t have the kick to overtake the XCC World Champion.
Once the elastic snapped, Maxwell tilted her head to check how far behind Alessandra Keller was, and pumped her left fist up and down, mouth agape in elation.
Although it wasn’t a win, the Decathlon-Ford racer was plenty happy with a brekaout podium performance in her second year riding in the elite field. The Kiwi is no slouch, taking a World Championship victory in 2023 as a U23 rider. In her debut elite season in 2024, she placed 8th at the Olympics but couldn’t find better than 10th at a World Cup.
A look at her race results show an unbroken string of 12 victories at early season races in Australia and New Zelanad, including championship winning rides at the New Zealand National Championships and Oceania Championships. Proper prep to get the season started.
The Kiwi didn’t just sit in. Rather, she was a dominant player in the 20 minute race in Brazil. She lit up the steepest part of the climb on the penultimate lap, perhaps trying to soften her competition’s legs or go for a long bomb attack. Only Keller and Richards could respond, and the trio were together for the final lap.
Richards went on the climb with Maxwell on her wheel, while Keller popped off the back. In hindsight, Richards sealed the deal there, only having to ride a clean few final minutes and kick to the line.
That’s how you go from an underdog to a main character in less than 20 minutes.