In the Junior categories Davide Magnini and Giulia Compagnoni have won. Of the Espoirs victory goes to Anton Palzer and Axelle Mollaret.
This morning on French snow at Puy Saint Vincent the first race of the Scarpa ISMF World Cup took place. The French long weekend begun with the Individual Race.
The men competed in a race with an altitude gain of 1780 metres over six uphill slopes, the women and the Junior men’s categories faced 1500 metres of altitude gain. In the highest part of the route the athletes ran two stretches with their skis in their backpacks. The Junior women’s category competed over a route with an altitude gain of 1050 metres.
At 9 o’clock sharp the Seniors set off. Right from the start a select few jostled for a position: Kilian Jornet Burgada, Anton Palzer, William Bon Mardion, Robert Antonioli, Martin Anthamatten and Matteo Eydallin.
Five minutes after the men had set off the Junior categories (male and female) left together with the Senior women.
The men’s race, after the first uphill slopes, got under way with Anton Palzer and Kilan, in the stretch on foot before the second to last downhill slope the German Palzer took the initiative, but was not able to leave Kilian Jornet Burgada behind. The Spaniard, on the last rise advanced with a few seconds on his side and flew towards the finish line in first place. Unfortunately, right on this last downhill slope Kilian took the wrong route (repeating the second to last downhill slope) and handed Anton Palzer victory of the first leg of the World Cup. Palzer stopped the stopwatch at 1:21’26’’, less than three seconds behind him an exceptional Xavier Gachet took second place. William Bon Mardion with 1:22’04’’ completed the podium. The young Palzer also won the Espoir category.
The Italian Matteo Eydallin and the Swiss Martin Anthamatten were fourth and fifth respectively. Behind Palzer in the Espoir category came Nadir Maguet and Luca Faifer.
In the women’s race the French Laetitia Roux, after starting out setting the pace for her younger colleagues, at the end of the first downhill slope broke away with a faster pace. Roux had no problems maintaining first place ahead of her conational Axelle Mollaret and the Swiss Jennifer Fiechter.
Roux completed the race confirming her successes of last season with 1:28’26’’, the young Mollaret is second a bit less than three minutes later. Jennifer Fiechter took the third place with a time of 1:36’11’’.
Mollaret won the Espoir category; Jennifer Fiechter and Marta Garcia Farres were respectively second and third.
In the Junior categories the Italian team dominated winning with Giulia Compagnoni of the girls and with Davide Magnini of the boys. Alba De Silvestro and Sophie Mollard completed the women’s podium. Valentino Bacca climbed onto the second step of the boy’s podium, while Simon Bellabouvier is third.
Tomorrow at 9 o’clock the Sprint Race will be run.