ROLLERSKI SPRINT WC IN VAL DI FIEMME ITALIAN CELEBRATION WITH BECCHIS AND MORTAGNA

On the second, spectacular day of the Rollerski World Cup Finals, Italy dominated the scene with extraordinary victories from Alba Mortagna and Emanuele Becchis, securing an all-Italian men’s podium thanks to Michele Valerio and the ever-present Alessio Berlanda. Italy also celebrated success in the Junior category with Raul Castagna, whilst Norway’s Emilie Ruud Lia triumphed in the women’s event.

Five-time World Champion Emanuele Becchis immediately took the lead in the qualifications, followed by his compatriot Michele Valerio. The pair enjoyed an unstoppable march to the final, with Alessio Berlanda – born in 1979 and a timeless icon – leading the way: in the quarterfinals, he knocked out the leader of the rankings, Vigants, only to be beaten in the semi-finals by an unstoppable Becchis. After the start, the eagerly anticipated showdown between Becchis and Valerio came down to the wire, when Valerio spectacularly got his roller skis tangled at the crucial moment and had to settle for another silver medal following the one he won at the World Championships in Latvia, just behind Becchis, who said: “Winning in my second home is fantastic. Despite the physical setback, everything went perfectly.”

Third place went to Alessio Berlanda. The overall ranking, however, favoured Vigants, who secured both the overall and speciality Crystal Globes.

In the women’s race, Italy’s Alba Mortagna literally sent the Val di Fiemme into raptures. The Italian, having dominated the qualifications, swept aside the competition right through to the final, where she beat the Latvian Kaparkaleja. At the finish line, the champion’s cry of relief even drowned out the crowd’s applause: “An immense joy and a great comeback after the back problems that have plagued me this year.” Third place went to the Norwegian Aarekol, who racks up the World Cup titles.

The Italian celebrations were rounded off in the Juniors with a magnificent performance by Raul Castagna. The 19-year-old raced like a veteran and secured a stunning victory by beating France’s Maury. Third place went to Latvia’s Skujins, whilst the speciality’s World Cup went to the Swede Jutterdal. Among the girls, the queen was the Norwegian Ruud Lia, ahead of Rohila and Sitar, who denied the Italian pair Falanelli and Invernizzi a place on the podium.

The Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme rollerski festival will draw to a close tomorrow: the Team Sprint spectacle is set to take place in Ziano.

Men – Sprint FT

1 Becchis Emanuele ITA; 2 Valerio Michele ITA; 3 Berlanda Alessio ITA; 4 Soerset Jostein Olafsen NOR

Women – Sprint FT

1 Mortagna Alba ITA; 2 Kaparkaleja Linda LAT; 3 Aarekol Ragnhild NOR; 4 Hadzic Tena CRO

Men Junior – Sprint FT

1 Castagna Raul ITA; 2 Maury Levi FRA; 3 Skujins Valts LAT; 4 Maury Eliott FRA

Women Junior – Sprint FT

1 Lia Emilie Ruud NOR; 2 Rohila Anni FIN; 3 Sitar Tinkara SLO; 4 Falanelli Nicole ITA