Martin Marcel (SUI) and Nina Silitch (USA) win This morning the World Championship sprint race took place in the central square of Tromso, in wait of the upcoming individual challenge, scheduled to be run tomorrow morning.
The Sprint formula was comprised of a first qualifying phase where athletes started one at a time to win the access to the quarter finals. The quarter finals were restricted to thirty athletes divided into five heats; only two quarter finalists per heat accessed the following phase. 12 athletes moved on to the finals: Marti, Rottmoser, Antonioli, Reichegger, Ecoeur, Sevennec, Kilian, Bon Mardion, Tronvoll, Eydallin, Gachet and Gund. Marti won the first heat, while the German athlete Rottmoser dominated the second.
As far as the ladies’ challenge is concerned the formula was the same; in the two semi-finals the first twelve athletes moved on to the final, which saw the following athletes: Silich, Figura, Gex-Fabry, Roux, Nicolini, and Trolliet. Big names such as Mireia Mirò Varela and Gloriana Pellissier could not go any further than the quarter finals.
The first challenge was run by the ladies; the American athlete Silitch started immediately in the first position and had no intention to lose the lead. Anna Figura, from Poland, came second, followed closely by her Swiss opponent Emilie Gex Fabry.
Back to the men’s final, Marcel Marti shot out from the start line as a lighting; his opponent tried to keep his pace, but it was only the German Rottmoser who did not lose too much ground. On the foot stretch all athletes changed their gear with remarkable accuracy, hence the order did not change; conversely, the gaps seemed to consolidate and Antonioli finished third. Marti crossed the finish line in the first position, while Rottmoser confirmed his second place, followed by the Italian contestant, Robert Antonioli.
Tomorrow morning at ten, on mount Blåtind the last World Championship race will finally take place. The height difference the athletes will have to face is 1770 metres, divided in three different uphill stretches.
