FIS Roller Skiing World Championships conclude with team sprint

Italy and Sweden win Team sprint at FIS Roller Skiing World Championships in Madona, Latvia.

With Sweden’s victory in the women's category and Italy’s win in the men's category, in a exciting and hot-blooded finish, the team sprint concluded the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships in Latvian skiing center Madona. Meanwhile Russia dominated in junior group for women and men.

After two days in Madona center, the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships returned for its finals to the newly renovated  “Smeceres sils” track, which stands also ready for the 2021 World junior and youth biathlon championships. The largest number of nations were recorded in men’s 15km (2x5x1,5km) Team sprint with 14 competing teams. In the first half of the race spectators could witnessed some moves, thanks to Belarussian Aliaksandr Voranau, who pulled away and made a six second gap during the fourth leg, but quite soon, during the sixth leg, nine leading teams were together once again. However in the last 200m only four teams battled for victory. The finish sprint was so tight, that first three teams got separated less than two tenths of the second. Francesco Becchis crossed the finish line first and could celebrate with teammate and Saturday’s mass start silver medallist Mateo Tanel the victory, denying three times World champion in Team sprint, Ragnar Bragvin Andresen, from his fourth title. Thus individual sprint winner on Friday Andresen, who now has won a record number of medals during six World Championships in a row, had to reconcile this time with silver. But his team mate Patrick Fossum Kristoffersen did not feel disappointed, because it was his first ever medal. Swedish Victor Gustafsson’s legs felt tired  on the final stretch after the win on previous day in 20km mass start distance race and therefore he couldn’t improve on his third spot. In the meantime, his teammate and frequent winner of World cup races in previous years, Robin Norum could cheer for his first podium place during those four days. It was Norum’s third bronze in Team sprint and he managed to win a medal in fifth World Championships.

Also the women’s 9km (2x3x1,5km) race was interesting in terms of the battle for the victory, although the finish sprints were not so tight as in the men's finals. Alena Prochazkova, mass start distance silver medallist from Slovakia pulled along with the leading group until the fourth leg until where could have been counted as medal contender, but at the start of the last sixth leg it was quite clear that medals will be divided between the leading trio – Sweden, Italy, Russia, just like in the previous two World Championships. In the last 300m Swedish Linn Soemskar accelerated and finished first already for the third time in those four days in Madona, earning her third team sprint title and winning her eight gold medal in total during a FIS Roller Skiing World Championships.  Thus Soemskar did the same as two years ago – won three golds and one bronze, becoming the Queen of this year's FIS Roller Skiing World Championships. Her teammate and three medal winner at Swedish national junior Championships in Cross-Country skiing, Moa Olsson received her first international Championships medal. Lucia Scardoni brought Italy into second, providing her second silver and also here a first medal to her teammate and third fastest sprinter’s Anna Bolzan’s sister Lisa.

In junior category in 9km (2x3x1,5km) clear winners were the main favourites – Russian teams. For junior men at the end of third leg individual sprint winner Dmitry Karakosov started his move and winner of mass start distance day after Alexander Grigoriev continued in the same manner, both further forming almost 20 seconds gap and wining their second gold. Grigoriev won two golds and two silvers and like Soemskar was on the podium in all four races. The battle for the other two podium places were thrilling and also a bit dramatic. Classic distance winner of the first day in “Smeceres sils” track Johan Ekberg from Sweden showed his finisher skills and finished three seconds ahead of his closest rivals, securing his teammate Filip Rosjoe's first medal and for himself the full set of medals during the weekend. When Jonas Fridlund, leading the main pack, felt some 100m before the end of 3rd leg and lost more than 10 seconds to the leaders, it seemed that Norway will finish outside medals for the second Championships in a row. But then Fridlung and teammate Amund Korsaeth worked hard for the medal spots on the last three legs and caught the leading group, outsprinting closest rivals Italy and Latvia in the battle for the bronze medals. Both Norwegians were very happy, especially Korsaeth, who was second best in 20km classic, but was disqualified, and in the sprint final finished fourth just half meter behind Latvian Niks Saulitis. Sprint bronze medal winner Saulitis was unlucky this time, because on the last 6th leg some 500m before finish he broke the lower part of the pole, lost some ground and therefore was not properly involved in finish sprint, crossing the line with disappointment in 5th and thus failing to secure first medal for his teammate Ilvars Bisenieks, who also earlier did a very god job.

In junior women class bronze medallist in both distances Thursday and Saturday Arina Bylinko from Russia finally won the bronze together with Olga Potapova, who after 4th and 5th places earned her first medal. Swedish youngster and in 2003 born Sara Andersson worked very well and together with Nora Lignell won silver medal, not leaving Sweden’s medal box empty in junior women category at this World Championships. Ukrainian girls Daria Rublova and Daryna Kovalova finished 4 seconds ahead of Slovakia in third, but it was not the lucky day for Ukraine at all. In one of exchanges jury noticed a too early start, and therefore added 15 seconds penalty, what relegated Ukrainian team to 4th place. Same happened also to Ukraine in Senior men category Ruslan Perekhoda and Oleksii Krasovsky, which were relegated from 4th to 9th, but for Ukrainian men the bitter was not so big as for the women.

A fantastic FIS Roller Skiing World Championships ended with spectacular racing and a cheering crowd in the streets of Madona, Latvia.