Junior category won by Giulia Compagnoni and Simon Bellabouvier. Anton Palzer and Axelle Mollaret at the top of the Espoir category.
On the second day of the race, this morning the Scarpa ISMF World Cup hosted the Sprint challenge, a very technical challenge made even more complicated by poor visibility, due to the low clouds that covered the racing field. A spectacular, fast formula that saw the Junior racers start off first, then once qualified the young athletes went straight on to the finals. Simon Bellabouvier, Nicolò Canclini, Pietro Canclini, Swann Juillaguet, Samuel Equy and Davide Magnini went off as contenders for the gold medal.
Davide Magnini is always at the head of the race and is the first to touch home, but the judges, aware of a fault committed by Magnini at a skin change, gave him a five minutes’ penalty, which brought him down to sixth place. So, the race was won by the French Simon Bellabouvier, with 3’18’’, followed by the two Italians Nicolò Canclini and Pietro Canclini.
The girls who made it to the final are Elisa Gayet, Sophie Mollard, Adele Milloz, Alba De Silvestro and Giulia Compagnoni. The Italian Compagnoni, with 4’08’’, repeats the success she had in the solo race, while Alba De Silvestro cannot keep up with her teammate and comes second. Third place goes to the French Adele Milloz.
After the youth finals, it was the turn of the qualification for the men and women Senior teams. According to international regulations, once qualified the girls would directly go on to the two semi-finals, while the men had also to run the quarterfinals then the two semi finals and the final.
The women’s team includes Martina Valmassoi, Axelle Mollaret, Elena Nicolini, Valentine Fabre, Claudia Galicia Cotrina and Laetitia Roux. In the first stretch of the trail, the French champion cannot keep up with the first ones and in the walking stretch she is last but one. In the last minute of the race, Roux speeds up a gear and gets back to first place so she is at the finishing line after 3’40’’. Valentine Fabre and Claudia Galicia Cotrina come second and third, respectively.
Men’s semi finals are intriguing but just six of them win the ticket for the final. Damiano Lenzi, Didier Blanc, Marcel Marti, Josef Rottmoser, Anton Palzer and Robert Antonioli are at the starting line.
Just afterwards, the German Josef Rottmoser sprints off like a 100-metre runner followed by his teammate Anton Palzer and just after him Robert Antonioli, Damiano Lenzi, Didier Blanc.
When reversing, Rottmoser has a few problems with the grip of the skin; those behind him get back behind the pacesetter. When changing pattern, everyone is off for the climb back up in just a handful of seconds; it is at the following change that Antonioli works a miracle, no flaws, everything is perfect, he puts on its skis in a wink and is the first to start up the last uphill stretch. He is as fast when he gets ready to rush downhill, and his flight to the finishing line is just a formality, while, behind him, Palzer and Rottmoser vie for second and third place.
The Italian Antonioli, almost in disbelief for his win, raises his hands and rushes past the finishing line with the time set at 2’54’’, Anton Palzer is second, while Rottmoser climbs up the third step of the podium.
Axelle Mollaret and Anton Palzer win the Espoir category.
The Vertical Race, the last race in the long World Cup weekend, will start tomorrow at 8.30 am.