ROLLERSKI WC: NORWAY, SWEDEN, ITALY! THE WORLD CUP COMES TO A CLOSE IN VAL DI FIEMME

The curtain falls on the Rollerski World Cup in Val di Fiemme. In Ziano di Fiemme, the Team Sprint put on a spectacular show, with victories going to the gold-medal-winning pairs from Latvia, Lauris Kaparkalejs and Raimo Vigants, and Sweden, Ebba Stenman and Kajsa Ekenberg. In the junior category, the Latvian duo Bilans-Skujins and the Norwegian pair Kjosavik-Lia were the winners.

The Team Sprint races once again drew crowds to the straightaway of Via Nazionale and along the 2.2-km course in the heart of town. Six laps under the sun, with tactics and energy management making all the difference.

The men’s event was dominated by the white and crimson red of Latvia, led by Lauris Kaparkalejs and, especially by Raimo Vigants, the star of a perfect weekend that secured him both the overall World Cup title and the sprint title. After celebrating the title at the end of yesterday’s sprint, Vigants immediately took centre stage again, with a decisive surge on the very last lap. After a race that was initially very tight, a trio consisting of Latvia, Sweden, and Italy formed on the final lap. On the last climb, Vigants shifted gears, pulled away, and flew toward the finish line and victory.

Second place, however, was decided by a photo finish: Sweden’s Nils Sjoeberg and Erik Fransson finished just three-tenths of a second ahead of Italy’s Dellagiacoma-Masiero pair.

In the women’s Team Sprint, Sweden once again demonstrated its strength. Kajsa Ekenberg and Ebba Stenman, winner of the 2025 World Cup, dominated the 13.2 km, holding off the strong push from Italy’s Anna Maria Ghiddi and Maria Eugenia Boccardi. The Italian team remained in contention until the final lap, when 20-year-old Ekenberg tapped into her reserves and broke away alone to claim victory. Norway was eliminated early on, hampered by a broken pole and thus deprived of the chance to contend for the podium with Hanne Saether Garberg and Ragnhild Aarekol, the recent overall and sprint World Cup champion. Third place went to Latvia’s team of Adriana Suminska and Linda Kaparkaleja.

In the Junior category, the Latvian duo of Bilans and Skujins made their decisive move on the very last of the six laps, breaking up a group that had remained tightly bunched until that point. Behind them, the French pair of Eliott and Levi Maury finished second, while the Italians Federico Sartori and Stefano Epis took third place. In the women’s race, Italians Nicole Falanelli and Maria Invernizzi made it to the podium, behind the unbeatable Norwegian duo of Kjosavik and Lia, the latter being the overall and sprint World Cup champion, and the German pair of Titscher and Dahlke.

The day also awarded crucial points for the overall Nations Cup, which went to Norway ahead of Sweden and Italy.

This marks the conclusion of another major event in Val di Fiemme, the umpteenth success for the Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme Committee led by Pietro De Godenz.

For Val di Fiemme, however, the season is far from over. The spotlight is already on the upcoming major events: the Nordic Combined World Cup from December 11 to 13, the Ski Jumping FIS Continental Cup on December 19 and 20, and the 21st Tour de Ski from January 8 to 10, 2027.

Team Sprint – Men

1 Latvia 1 26’05.3; 2 Sweden 26’07.0; 3 Italy 1 26’07.3; 4 Norway 26’08.2; 5 Italy 2 26’11.2; 6 Germany 26’22.4; 7 Latvia 2 27’29.3

Team Sprint – Women

1 Sweden 30’31.7; 2 Italy 1 30’42.0; 3 Latvia 31’31.2; 4 Norway 31’53.8; 5 Germany 32’07.9; 6 Italy 2 33’52.0;

Team Sprint – Junior Men

1 Latvia 27'10.7; 2 France 27'13.6; 3 Italy 1 27'15.2; 4 Italy 2 27'22.4; 5 Slovenja 1 27'24.7; 6 Norway 28'19.6; 7 Germany 28'26.5; 8 Slovenja 2 31'34.0

Team Sprint – Junior Women

1 Norway 32'03.7; 2 Germany 32'05.2; 3 Italy 32'22.3; 4 Slovenja 32'40.5; 5 Latvia 1 33'16.7; 6 Kazakhstan 34'37.8; 7 Latvia 2 35'51.7