THE NORWEGIAN FLAG WAVES ON THE CERMIS IN VAL DI FIEMME, HOWEVER, IT’S ALL ABOUT BOCCARDI

The final act of the Rollerski World Cup kicked off today in Val di Fiemme. On the legendary and dreaded Alpe Cermis Mass Start course, the best senior and junior roller skiers representing fourteen nations put on a spectacular show. Dominating the 10 km Mass Start in classic technique—an extremely tough and gruelling race—were the Norwegians Andreas Bergsland and Ragnhild Aarekol. Among the juniors, however, it was a German sweep led by Claudius Benkert and Luisa Dahlke.

Starting from the centre of Ziano di Fiemme, the women’s group immediately set a blistering pace. During the picturesque passage through the Olympic Cross-Country Stadium at Lago di Tesero, overall ranking leader Ragnhild Aarekol took the lead, followed by Italy’s Maria Eugenia Boccardi. The final 2.5 kilometres uphill, with monstrous gradients exceeding 25%, sparked a spectacular duel between Aarekol and Boccardi. At the 1,275-meter finish line in Doss dei Laresi, the Norwegian made her decisive move, defeating a heroic yet exhausted Boccardi. Rounding out the podium was Sweden’s Kajsa Ekenberg.

In the men’s race, however, it was Andreas Bergsland who pulled off a legendary feat. At the start of the final climb, there were five athletes in the lead group, with the Viking giant hot on the heels of a large German group. When the road steepened, Bergsland’s attack was devastating, leaving his rivals behind and crossing the finish line with a 40-second lead. On the podium were the Germans Jonathan Goeppert and Jakob Walther, while overall ranking leader Raimo Vigants (LAT) finished in 7th place.

In the junior category, Germany celebrated with Claudius Benkert’s victory ahead of Italians Federico Sartori and Stefano Epis. In the women’s race, Luisa Dahlke (GER) claimed victory, edging out her compatriot Sina Titscher and Norway’s Emilie Ruud Lia.

The Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme weekend has just begun, and tomorrow promises a spectacular show in the heart of Ziano di Fiemme with the 200-meter Sprint in free technique, while on Sunday the event will conclude with the Team Sprint.

Men – 10 km Mass Start CT

1 Bergsland Andreas NOR 36:16.5; 2 Goeppert Jonathan GER 36:53.9; 3 Walther Jakob GER 37:22.6; 4 Hartlieb Tilman GER 37:50.4; 5 Bing Thomas GER 38:15.1; 6 Lavric Preglj Philip Yazbec SLO 38:27.4; 7 Vigants Raimo LAT 38:43.7; 8 Rojo Garcia Imanol ESP 38:54.5; 9 Fransson Erik SWE 39:02.6; 10 Masiero Riccardo Lorenzo ITA 39:06.0

Women – 10 km Mass Start CT

1 Aarekol Ragnhild NOR 44:24.8; 2 Boccardi Maria Eugenia ITA 44:32.3; 3 Ekenberg Kajsa SWE 45:47.3; 4 Stenman Ebba SWE 47:35.7; 5 Ghiddi Anna Maria ITA 48:55.9; 6 Suminska Adriana LAT 50:53.7; 7 Kaparkaleja Linda LAT 52:02.0; 8 Bernardi Elisabetta ITA 53:17.2; 9 Schoettes Melina GER 54:34.9; 10 Garberg Hanne Saether NOR 57:52.2

Men Junior – 10 km Mass Start CT

1 Benkert Claudius GER 39:22.3; 2 Sartori Federico ITA 39:35.8; 3 Epis Stefano ITA 40:20.7; 4 Berdaus Jaka SLO 41:05.9; 5 Circens Indrikis Ints LAT 41:45.4; 6 Castagna Raul ITA 42:16.8; 7 Torp Jonas NOR 42:49.1; 8 Tazzioli Alessandro ITA 43:27.9; 9 Stimac Matija CRO 43:31.1; 10 Jutterdal Ville SWE 44:04.0

Women Junior – 10 km Mass Start CT

1 Dahlke Luisa GER 46:31.5; 2 Titscher Sina GER 47:44.6; 3 Lia Emilie Ruud NOR 47:56.8; 4 Sitar Tinkara SLO 48:10.0; 5 Falanelli Nicole ITA 48:32.2; 6 Kjosavik Synnoeve NOR 48:45.7; 7 Richter Hanna GER 49:09.0; 8 Invernizzi Maria ITA 50:35.9; 9 Bekmagambetova Ailin KAZ 52:07.1; 10 Yermagambetova Zhanyia KAZ 52:34.0