PARALYMPIC TEST EVENTS: GREAT SPORT VAL DI FIEMME, SEE YOU IN 2026

In the 10 km Individual celebrations for USA, China, Norway, Poland and Czech Republic

Beppe Romele is 3rd in the Sitting category: incredible effort and great materials

Good feedback for the Paralympic Test Events in Val di Fiemme, positive balance of Fondazione

It was a day of sunshine and great sport in Val di Fiemme, where the final race of the FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup stage valid as a Test Event for the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games was staged. The 10 km individual race in classic technique crowned Kendall Gretsch (USA) and Zhongwu Mao (CHN) winners in the sitting category, Vilde Nilsen (NOR) and Witold Skupien (POL) in the standing category, and Simona Bubenickova (CZE) and Jake Adicoff (USA) among the vision impaired.

In the sitting category victory went to the Chinese Zhongwu Mao ahead of the Brazilian Cristian Westemaier Ribera and the stainless Giuseppe Romele (ITA). In the sitting women's event Kendall Gretsch (USA) is first, behind her a brilliant Aline Dos Santos Rocha (BRA) and the determined Chinese Shiyu Wang, absent instead the champion Anja Wicker (GER) who forfeited after her 2nd place in yesterday's Sprint.

There was no contest in the women's standing category, where victory once again went to the champion Vilde Nilsen ahead of the Ukrainian Oleksandra Kononova and Bohdana Konashuk. In the men's category, a rediscovered Witold Skupien preceded the Japanese Taiki Kawayoke and the German Sebastian Marburger, who battled throughout the race, but on the finish line paid 43.8‘ and 50.3’ respectively to the day's winner.

In the women's Vision Impaired category, Simona Bubenickova (CZE) was ahead of the always podium winner Leonie Maria Walter (GER) and the tired but performing Yue Wang (CHN). Out earlier than expected was Austrian Carina Edlinger, who suffered a fall in the third of the four laps that forced her to abandon the race when she was among the candidates for the podium. In the men's event, victory went to the American Jake Adicoff ahead of the Chinese Shuang Yu and the Swedish Zebastian Modin.

The curtain therefore falls on the Paralympic Test Events in Val di Fiemme, which is thus getting closer and closer to the big Paralympic event next March. It is worth remembering that the Test Events have been organised by the Fondazione Milano Cortina with the precious support of the local OC, led by Pietro De Godenz, who once again fielded his irreplaceable and hard-working team of volunteers.

Appointment in Val di Fiemme on Saturday, March 7 2026, for the first competition day of the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games with Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon.

TV images download: www.broadcaster.it

10 km CT – Men Sitting

1 Z.Mao CHN 24.53.5; 2 C.Westermaier BRA +2.4; 3 G.Romele ITA +43.2; 4 P.Bal UKR +1.01.7; 5 P.Zheng CHN +1.02.4; 6 Y.Khamitov KAZ +1.20.1; 7 T.Wang CHN +1.22.6; 8 O.Aleksyk UKR +1.42.2; 9 M.Biglione ITA +2.09.7; 10 D.Cnossen USA +2.11.2

10 km CT – Women Sitting

1 K.Gretsch USA 28.39.6; 2 A.Dos Santos Rocha BRA +47.8; 3 S.Wang CHN +1.02.3; 4 Y.Zhai CHN +1.22.7; 5 M.M.Menje GER +2.48.4; 6 P.Li CHN +3.27.0; 7 N.Zaino USA +3.48.7; 8 I.Liseth NOR +4.31.3; 9 L.M. Bilodeau CAN +8.44.7

10 km CT –Men Standing

1 W.Skupien POL 24.37.9; 2 T.Kawayoke JPN +43.8; 3 S.Marburger GER +50.3; 4 Y.Nitta JPN +1.15.6; 5 S.Drahun UKR +1.36.4; 6 K.Haugen NOR +2.00.1; 7 J.Berry USA +2.39.5; 8 N.Alimov KAZ +3.00.4; 9 K.Sato JPN +3.09.0; 10 J.Cai CHN +3.30.0

10 km CT –Women Standing

1 V.Nilsen NOR 27.30.0; 2 O.Kononova UKR +1.51.7; 3 B.Konashuk UKR +2.49.1; 4 K.Marchand GER +4.05.6; 5 Z.Zhao CHN +4.36.9; 6 Y.Abe JPN +5.24.8; 7 E.Archibald CAN +5.59.4; 8 M.Dekijima JPN +7.52.3; 9 M.Iwamoto JPN +9.42.4; 10 A.Delavier FRA +11.48.4

10 km CT –Men Visual Impaired

1 J.Adicoff USA 25.17.9; 2 S.Yu CHN +1.09.8; 3 Z.Modin SWE +1.21.1; 4 I Inola FIN +1.55.9; 5 T.Oxaal NOR + 2.07.1; 6 D.Suiarko UKR +2.46.9; 7 T.Bold GER +4.00.1; 8 J.Bachinsky CAN +4.52.3; 9 M.Nelson USA +5.02.5; 10 R.Ariyasu JPN +5.57.2

10 km CT –Women Visual Impaired

1 S.Bubenickova CZE 28.23.8; 2 L.M.Walter GER +1.37.9; 3 Y. Wang CHN +3.15.2; 4 M.Mullin CAN +7.24.6; 5 A.Kobryn POL +7.36.8

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