The 22nd Pannonian Challenge

Report written by Pannonian Challenge 2021

The long-awaited 22nd edition of the Pannonian Challenge took place in Osijek, Croatia from the 11th of August to the 15th of August. This festival of extreme sports and urban culture has become one of the most important sporting events not only in Croatia, but in the whole region, thanks to its audience and fans. Adrenaline, breaking one’s own boundaries, good fun, synergy of sports and culture are only a few of its characteristics. Skate Park is reserved for the sports program of the competition, where the Inline, Scooter, Skate and BMX riders showed their mastery in front of the judges and the audience. The music program was held in the courtyard of Stara Pekara. The whole event began on Wednesday, 11th of August with an exhibition by photographer Samir Kurtagić.

The spirit and energy of the fans were missing from the festival in 2020, when due to Covid restrictions, attendance was limited. In 2021, the audience returned to the Pannonian Challenge, continuing the tradition that started in 1999, when the first extreme sports festival was held. Over the years, it has developed into a global project, along with its growing audience, which has become an indispensable and recognizable part of the Pannonian Challenge.

The competition part of the Pannonian Challenge ended with a spectacle in the BMXFreestyle discipline in front of a full audience in the skate park.

The final competition at the 22nd Pannonian Challenge, the one in the BMX Freestyle discipline, was exactly as expected – tense, dynamic, visually extremely attractive and especially euphoric for the audience that completely filled the Pannonian stands. Even the warm-up of the two-wheeler enthusiasts was very impressive, which further fueled the desire of the riders to do their best, but also the desire of the visitors to see some new tricks. The BMX Freestyle competition was held in three categories – Amateur, Women and Pro – which contributed to the content of the program, but also showed that there is no fear for the future of this sport because the new generations of girls and boys have a lot to show.

The best in the BMX Freestyle Amateur category were first-placed Janos Babel from Hungary, second-placed Áron Varró, also from Hungary, and third-placed Maksim Getoš, a young hope of the Osijek extreme sports scene that is developing in the BMX school of the Pannonian Challenge.

The special support of the audience was given to the female competitors who proved the audience with their masterpieces and showed that they can stand alongside their male colleagues, which the Osijek audience rewarded with hearty cheering, and Kim Lea Mueller from Germany ended up to be the best.

The grand final of the BMX Freestyle discipline in the Pro category was also the finale of the 22nd Pannonian Challenge, and the euphoria was caused by the performance of Marin Ranteš from Varaždin who sees Osijek as his second home, and the audience accepts him as their own. Marin finally celebrated the victory, which is the first time he has won this prestigious competition. Second place went to Englishman Kieran Reilly, and third place went to American Jacob Thiem. The best trick was achieved by Kieran Reilly (Double Flair), and in the big air the height of 4.10 meters was also achieved by Kieran Reilly.

“I feel great, I finally won the Pannonian, I’m very happy about that. I’m glad the audience came back, because it gives us more strength and motivation to do even better and without them it wouldn’t be the same. My mom is my biggest support and it means a lot to me because we can talk about everything, we can do absolutely everything together and it would really be much harder without her. I don’t look at others, I look at myself more, so I’m actually the biggest competition to myself because I want to do everything I’ve planned. My favorite part in the park is the big jumpbox because I can do the most tail whips, but really the whole park in Osijek is great, everything is adapted for us and we really thank the organizers. My favorite trick was the 720 tail whip, this one has been my favorite for 5-6 years now and I’m glad I can do it in the middle of the ride. BMX appeared at the Olympics this year as a new discipline. This means a lot to us BMX riders because it is finally accepted as a sport “- said Marin Ranteš.

The end of the competition festival was celebrated as befits such a sporting event, with a party that was enjoyed by both competitors and many people from Osijek. The Sunday program was in a slightly more casual style and was reserved for open sessions in the Inline, Scooter, Skate and BMX disciplines.

This year’s Pannonian Challenge, in addition to top entertainment and sportsmanship, gave athletes and visitors hope for a soon return to the old normal that everyone is crying out for, which is already a great indication for the 23rd edition of the Pannonian Challenge next year.