FIS Roller Skiing World Championships Madona, Latvia - Sprint results

At the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships in the Latvian city of Madona, the sprint events was won by Norwegian Ragnar Bragvin Andresen and Swede Linn Soemskar. The fastest sprinters in junior groups were Dmitriy Karakosov from Russia and Julie Henriette Arnesen from Norway. Meanwhile third fastest in junior men Niks Saulitis from Madona secured the first individual medal in history for Latvia at the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships.

On the second day of the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships athletes competed in the 200m sprint with slight uphill in the center of Madona, cheered by around one thousand spectators who were watching this event. The sprint competition started with the qualifications, deciding the 16 best of each group, who ended up in the quarterfinal stage. Contrary to the regular Championships and World Cups, the sprint in Madona regulated the final heats for four athletes to participate in each heat insead of the usual two. In the three of four groups among the participants were title defenders – Rollerski Sprint World Champions of  2017, but when during the semi-final Italian Emanuele Becchis, Russian Olga Letucheva and Italian Alba Mortagna were failing to secure spot, it became clear that in all groups will crown new champions.

The finals of the senior men seemed to be Norwegian Championships as three out of four finalists were wearing the norwegian flag. Despite having only the ninth fastest time in the qualification, the World Champion of 2011 Ragnar Andresen, became faster and faster with each round and decided the finals for himself, earning his second individual and totally fifth World title in the senior group. Jostein Olafsen - like in 2017 - won the silver medal and Kristian Ankersen won his first medal of ihis career on the 3rd place, leaving in fourth Russian Ivan Zhilinskiy, who for the first time since 2013 competed in a FIS competition. Meanwhile two fastest men in qualification and former bronze medallists Vitaly Smirnov and Dmitry Voronin failed to make the final.

After bronze and silver at the last two World Championships in individual sprint Linn Soemskar from Sweden finally won the gold in this discipline, expanding her gold medal collection at the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships to six. Her teammate Jackline Lockner, who finished 4th two years ago, with second place provided double victory for Sweden and were brought to tears of happiness with her first ever medal. Bronze medal went to Bolzan family from Italy, but his time instead of Lisa, who won last year World cup sprint in Madona, it was her twin sister Anna, repeating her achievement from junior group in 2013.

In junior men category, Russian athletes claimed a double victory. The Winner of World junior cup sprint race in Madona two years ago, Dmitry Karakosov, won the final in front of teammate and silver medallist of 20km classic Alexander Grigoriev. Best Latvian youth skier Niks Saulitis made the home crowd cheer the loudest by winning Latvians first individual medal at a FIS Roller Skiing World Championships. In junior women category Norwegian Julie Henriete Arnesen, who won last year in Madona and was second one month ago in China in senior group, approved her favourite status with clear victory, adding gold to her bronze medal two years ago and providing spectators to hear at awards ceremony “Ja, vi elsker” two times. Two Russian youngsters Angelina Agafonova and Kseniya Isaychenkova were happy for their first podium places.