Para Cross-Country World Cup concludes in Steinkjer as athletes gear up for Trondheim 2025
Mar 02, 2025·Para Cross-Country)
The final stop of the FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup before the 2025 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships saw thrilling battles in Steinkjer (NOR), despite challenging weather conditions forcing the cancellation of the final day's races.
Gretsch, Ribera, Nilsen, Huang, Edlinger, and Adicoff take 10km freestyle victories
The competition kicked off with the 10km individual freestyle races, where several top contenders made strong statements ahead of the season's pinnacle event in Trondheim.
In the Women’s Sitting category, multiple Paralympic and World Champion Kendall Gretsch (USA) added another win to her resume, crossing the line 19 seconds ahead of South Korea’s Yunji Kim, with China’s Yilin Shan securing third place, 1:24 behind.
Brazil’s Cristian Westemaier Ribera continued his dominant campaign in the Men’s Sitting field, taking a decisive victory by 1:20 over Kazakhstan’s Yerbol Khamitov. USA’s Daniel Cnossen rounded out the podium, finishing 1:50 behind Ribera.
Fresh off a flawless World Championships campaign in Toblach, Vilde Nilsen (NOR) remained untouchable in Women’s Standing, stopping the clock at 29:36—34 seconds ahead of the rising American star Sydney Peterson, while Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova secured third place.
A surprise victory came in the Men’s Standing event, where Lingxin Huang (CHN) marked his first World Cup appearance of the season with a commanding win. Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Gerlits and Ukraine’s Serafym Drahun, both making their first podium appearances of the season, followed at +1:04 and +1:08, respectively. Category leader Taiki Kawayoke (JPN) finished just outside the podium in fourth.
In the Women’s Vision Impaired event, Carina Edlinger (AUT), guided by Jakob Kainz, built on her strong performances in Toblach (where she claimed silver and bronze) to take the win. Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter, guided by Christian Krasman, finished second, while Ukraine’s Oksana Shyshkova (guided by Artem Kazarian) celebrated her first World Cup podium of the season in third.
The fastest time of the day across all categories belonged to Jake Adicoff (USA) and his guide Jake Brown, who dominated the Men’s Vision Impaired race. Ukraine’s Iaroslav Reshetynskyi (guided by Dmytro Drahun) took second place, 51 seconds behind, while Sweden’s Zebastian Modin (guided by Emil Talsi) completed the podium in third.
Sprint finals deliver dramatic finishes
The sprint finals in Steinkjer provided thrilling head-to-head battles and unexpected turns, with several podiums decided in the closing meters.
In the Women’s Sitting final, Yunji Kim (KOR) led into the last straight, but Anja Wicker (GER) used her power and experience to surge ahead in the final meters and take the win. Kendall Gretsch (USA), always a consistent performer, secured third place.
The Men’s Sitting final saw Cristian Westemaier Ribera (BRA) enter the last descent with a comfortable lead, while the battle for the remaining podium spots intensified behind him. Oleksandr Aleksyk (UKR) edged out Yerbol Khamitov (KAZ) and Daniel Cnossen (USA) in a thrilling sprint to claim second place.
In the Women’s Standing final, Vilde Nilsen (NOR) controlled the race from start to finish, securing victory with a comfortable margin. Behind her, a tight duel for silver saw Sydney Peterson (USA) narrowly hold off Liudmyla Liashenko (UKR), with both athletes crossing the line nearly side by side.
The Men’s Standing final featured a dramatic showdown between Marco Maier (GER) and Serafym Drahun (UKR) on the finishing straight. Meanwhile, an all-Ukrainian battle played out for third place just behind. However, after a jury review, Drahun was disqualified for an infraction at the finish line, promoting Serhii Romaniuk (UKR) to second and Alexandr Gerlits (KAZ) to third.
In the Women’s Vision Impaired final, Simona Bubenickova (CZE), guided by David Srutek, led most of the way, but Carina Edlinger (AUT), guided by Jakob Kainz, surged past her in the final meters to take another victory. Linn Kazmaier (GER) and her guide Florian Baumann completed the podium in third.
The Men’s Vision Impaired final saw a major upset, as category leader Jake Adicoff (USA) and his guide Jake Brown crashed in the semifinals, failing to advance. In their absence, Zebastian Modin (SWE) and his guide Emil Joensson Haag dominated the final, building a ten-second lead before the last descent. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ihor Kravchuk (guided by Andriy Dotsenko) edged out teammate Maksym Murashkovskyi (guided by Vitaliy Trush) in a dramatic sprint for second place.
Weather forces cancellation of the final day
The 5km races scheduled for the final day were canceled due to adverse weather conditions.
"We have had two great days of competition with good conditions for the athletes, given the weather. The organizers put in tremendous effort to ensure a well-prepared event. Canceling today’s races was not an easy decision, but we believe it was the only responsible course of action," said Ingela Kälvedal, FIS Technical Delegate.
Despite late efforts to maintain race conditions, including bringing in additional snow, the organizers and jury deemed it unsafe to proceed. Chief of competition Morten Vannebo expressed gratitude for the successful race days and wished the athletes well for the upcoming World Championships in Trondheim.
"It’s never an easy decision to cancel a race, especially when the Local Organizing Committee has done such a great job, with dedicated volunteers giving their best under any conditions. However, it is our duty to prioritize the athletes’ health—especially as they head toward the biggest event of their season, the inclusive Sprint event at the FIS Nordic World Championships," added Georg Zipfel, FIS Para Cross-Country Race Director.
With the Steinkjer event wrapped up, all eyes now turn to Trondheim, where the world’s best Para Cross-Country skiers will battle for the season’s biggest honors at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.
2024/25 FIS Para Cross-Country Overall winners
Women Sitting category: Kendall Gretsch (USA) with 829 points
Women Standing category: Vilde Nilsen (NOR) with 940 points
Women VI category: Leonie Maria Walter and her guide Christian Krasman (GER) with 767 points
Men Sitting category: Cristian Westemaier Ribera (BRA) with 915 points
Men Standing category: Taiki Kawayoke (JPN) with 791 points
Men VI category: Zebastian Modin and his guide Emil Joensson Haag (SWE) with 879 points
Thanks to the strong performances of its athletes and nine additional top-three finishes during the World Cup finals in Steinkjer, Ukraine overtook China with a final score of 11,083 points to win the 2024/25 Nations Cup, successfully defending its title as the most successful nation from last season.
The detailed rankings are available here.
