Val Martello – The WÜRTH MODYF ISMF World Cup circus moved from Switzerland to Italy for the fifth stage of the 2023 season. Three races in four days are planned in Val Martello, Thursday’s Individual race opening the programme.
During the weekend, the spectators will have an opportunity to see first-hand the Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic disciplines. The Mixed Relay will take place on Saturday morning, while Sprint will close the fifth round of the World Cup on Sunday. The weekend’s events -Sprint and Mixed Relay- will take at the Grogg Biathlon Center.
Lack of snow and challenging downhills
The first race on the menu is the classic one – Individual race. On Thursday morning, more than 130 athletes from 20 countries and four continents will line up for the fourth Individual race of the season. Despite the lack of snow -enough for the race, but way less than in other years- due to the warm weather in the Stelvio National Park area, the local organising committee has prepared a challenging and attractive course.
The men’s race will have 1504+D, five uphills & downhills and one short section on skins to the finish line. The lack of snow has made the descents difficult, narrow and with several types of snow, perfect for the athletes with better technical skills.
Rémi Bonnet, the winner of two Individuals this season, won’t be at the start line, so the battle for the win is wide open. Matteo Eydallin, third last Friday in Morgins, knows the taste of victory in Val Martello as he won here in 2021. Xavier Gachet, the winner of the Individual World Cup 2021/22, is also back in form. With Bonnet missing, the overall leader Thibault Anselmet has a great opportunity to increase his lead.
On the women’s side, we’ll see the return of Tove Alexandersson (Sweden). The 2020/21 World Cup runner-up has yet to race since the Individual race at Val Martello in 2022. The best athlete in Individual races of the past years, Axelle Gachet-Molarret, has proven to be almost un beatable lately, having won ten Individual races in a row. The last time she didn’t win was two years ago in Val Martello. Who beat her? Tove Alexandersson.
The women’s course will have four uphill & downhills and a total of 1350+D. The last metres to the finish will be on the skins, the same as men.
Weekend for the Olympic events
After Friday’s rest day, the competition will resume on Saturday morning with the Mixed Relay. The qualification starts at 9:00 CET, followed by the Final at 9:00. This time, there won’t be Final B. The best 12 teams from the qualification will make it to the finals. The Final will be streamed live on TV.ISMF-SKI.ORG.
The last event of the week will be the Sprint race in the Biathlon Center “Grogg”. A well-known course that in previous years has brought exciting races to the spectators and athletes alike. The qualification starts at 10:45, and the quarterfinal will start at 11:41.
The women’s final is scheduled at 13:31, followed by the men’s final at 13:44.
You can watch the Mixed Relay on Saturday from 8:45 CET live on TV.ISMF-SKI.ORG.
