IN VAL DI FIEMME, TANEL RACES WITH HEART ROLLERSKI WORLD CUP FINAL

Everything is set! This weekend, from Friday, September 18, through Sunday, September 20, Val di Fiemme will host the final and decisive stage of the Rollerski World Cup. The spotlight is once again on Trentino’s Olympic valley, which will serve as the setting for a grand finale that will determine the winners of the overall and discipline rankings in roller skiing’s premier circuit.

After the first two stages, the race is still wide open, with the Italian team in the thick of the competition for the top spots and ready to put on a spectacular show between Alpe Cermis and Ziano di Fiemme. The program kicks off in grand style: Friday’s 10 km Mass Start at Alpe Cermis will open the weekend.

On Saturday 19, the spotlight will be on the thrilling Sprint, scheduled on the 200m straightaway of Via Nazionale in Ziano. The grand finale will take place on Sunday 20, with the Team Sprint FT, a relay race in which pairs from the national teams will compete on a 2.24 km circuit. There are high expectations for Maria Eugenia Boccardi and Anna Maria Ghiddi following their silver medal at the World Championships in the last stage in Latvia.

Emanuele Becchis is also fresh off a standout World Championship performance. After winning his fifth Sprint world title, he currently holds second place in the Sprint rankings behind his great rival Raimo Vigants (LAT). Another showdown between the two is on the horizon, with Italy’s Michele Valerio—the world silver medallist—ready to join the fight for the podium.

Alba Mortagna and Anna Maria Ghiddi hold third and fourth place, respectively, in the Sprint rankings, behind Norway’s Aarekol Ragnhild—the reigning overall and Sprint champion—and Sweden’s Ebba Stenman.

As for the overall standings, Maria Eugenia Boccardi still has a real chance of claiming the podium she reached two years ago. Tommaso Dellagiacoma, currently in fifth place, will have to overcome competition from the Swedes Erik Fransson and Simon Karlsson, as well as from Thomas Bing, who is second in the rankings, and the ever-present Raimo Vigants, who currently leads the race.

Last year Val di Fiemme smiled on reigning champion Matteo Tanel, but this year the three-time World Cup winner was forced to skip the early stages because of physical problems. Although he has not fully recovered yet, the 1993-born athlete has still chosen to be there for the grand finale and to take on the challenge with all his heart: “I’ll be there in Val di Fiemme, and I will also race on the Cermis. I skipped the previous stages because of back problems that I haven’t fully resolved yet, but I’ll tackle the climb with all my heart, give it my all, and try to do my best, just as I always have.” The Alpe Cermis stage is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious and iconic events on the calendar—a challenge not only against opponents but also against oneself, where strategy will make all the difference, as Tanel explains: “The uphill isn’t very long, but it’s definitely steep. You have to manage it well, without getting carried away by the excitement and by riding your own race. First, though, it is best to conserve as much energy as possible on the flat, staying sheltered in the group, and then impose your own pace as soon as the climb begins. In the final stretch, you have to dig deep and give it your all—which is certainly easier said than done.”

After the intense work of the past few weeks, the Nordic ski Val di Fiemme committee is now just waiting for the event to begin. However, the committee’s efforts are also focused on the future, with a packed calendar of events that includes the Nordic Combined World Cup from December 11 to 13, the Ski Jumping FIS Continental Cup of December 19 and 20, and the 21st Tour de Ski from January 8 to 10, 2027.