In Val Martello among the Juniors Giulia Compagnoni and Thomas Corthay finished in the lead. Nadir Maguet and Marta Garcia Farres won for the Espoir category.

Sunday morning, the Sprint Race for the Scarpa ISMF World Cup took place at the Biathlon centre of Martello (Bolzano – Italia). The Organising Committee prepared a very challenging and technical racecourse, which made the day for the athletes and, most importantly, the crowd that, from the start and arrival areas could enjoy the entire race.

The first to set off were the young Juniors. After the qualifying phase Giulia Compagnoni, Alba De Silvestro, Laura Balet Caixach, Marianne Fatton, Lena Bonnel and Una Forchthammer made it to the final. The azzurra Giulia Compagnoni, impervious to Saturday’s massive effort, immediately took the lead of the group. At the technical foot stretch, the skis in the rucksack, the leader had chipped herself a remarkable advantage. Halfway through the race, the Italian gets it all perfectly and flies towards the finish line stopping the clock at 4’00’’. The runner-up is Swiss Marianne Fatton, lagging by 3’’, the last spot on the podium was taken by French Lena Bonnel.

In the men’s section, the starting line-up for the final race saw Davide Magnini, Simon Bellabouvier, Thomas Corthay, Swann Juillaguet, Valentino Bacca and Pietro Canclini. Right after the shot Davide Magnini came forward, Frenchmen Bellabouvier and Corthay trailing behind. Magnini holds the leadership up until the last change, when Thomas Corthay, making the most of a light from Magnini in taking his skins off the skis, and comes out of the spot in the lead. The Swiss holds fast, makes a flawless descent and cuts through the finish line in 3’08’’. Magnini confirms his second place with only a two-second deficit, while Bellabouvier is third in 3’15’’.

After the award ceremony for the Junior categories, the time came for the Seniors. The qualifying races and semi-finals confirmed Germans Rottmoser and Lautenbacher, Robert Antonioli, Yannick Ecoeur, Nadir Maguet and Marcel Marti for the last challenge. Rottmoser immediately takes the lead, behind him the World Champion Robert Antonioli seems to be struggling in the fourth and then firth position; Lautenbacher and Ecoeur are behind Rottmoser. When the time comes for the foot stretch, as usual, Robert Antonioli shifts into fifth gear and earns the second place. At the last change Rottmoser comes first out of the spot with a slight advantage that wins him the gold medal with a time of 3’26’’. Antonioli confirms the runner-up place with a thin five-second delay. Toni Lautenbacher completes the podium in 3’37’’.

After the qualifiers, the women in the Senior category made it directly to the semi-finals. The two races, combined, gave the list of the finalists: Elena Nicolini, Laetitia Roux, Emelie Forsberg, Malene Haukøy, Melanie Bernier and Martina Valmassoi.

Since the early seconds it was quite clear that this World Cup race could have only one winner, and that was Laetitia Roux. A beautiful head to head took place between Emelie Forsberg and Elena Nicolini for second place. Roux finishes in 3’43’’, behind her the azzurra Nicolini, who gets the better of the Suede in a massive display of mental and athletic panache. Nicolini ends the race in 3’54’’ while Forsberg stops the watch at 3’57’’.

As far as the Espoirs went, Nadir Maguet and Marta Garcia Farres finished first.

The Scarpa ISMF World Cup will be back at the end of March, more precisely from 27 to 29 March on the Italian snow at Prato Nevoso (CN).

Race results are online on ISMF website.
http://ismf-ski.org/www/content/races-result?id=133

All the new provisional World cup rankings are on http://ismf-ski.org/www/content/rankings-podiums&ranking=wc2015