FIEMME WRAPS UP THE ROLLERSKI WORLD CUP 4 MEDALS FOR ITALY AT THE LATVIAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Rollerski World Cup is nearing its conclusion in Val di Fiemme. After the spectacular first two stages in Trollhättan, Sweden, and Madona, Latvia – where Italy won four medals at the World Championships – the 2026 season is set to reach its grand finale in the Trentino Dolomites.

The curtain rose on the top international roller-skiing circuit in the rainy Swedish town with a 1.3 km free technique Sprint, which was won by Sweden’s Anton Grahn and Johanna Hagström. The classic technique Mass Start, meanwhile, was won by Norwegian Olympic gold medallist Astrid Oeyre Slind and Britain’s Andrew Musgrave, while the 15 km classic technique Individual race once again went to the Swedes Edvin Anger and Elin Henriksson.

The second stage in Latvia was a highly prestigious event, with the roller skiers also competing for World Championship titles, which yielded a total of four medals for the Italian team. The event kicked off with the successes of Norway’s Andreas Bergsland and Ragnhild Aarekol. Italy’s first success, however, did not take long to arrive in the women’s Team Sprint, thanks to the silver medal won by Maria Eugenia Boccardi and Anna Maria Ghiddi, who put up a fierce fight to the very end against the Norwegian winners Aarekol and Kjosavik. On the men’s side, the hosts, Lauris Kaparkalejs and the World Champion Raimo Vigants, secured an equally hard-fought Team Sprint victory. However, Giovanni Lorenzetti and Tommaso Dellagiacoma were left with a bitter taste in their mouths as they saw their medal hopes slip away right at the finish line, finishing just off the podium, a mere two seconds behind the Latvians.

An extraordinary Emanuele Becchis secured the first Italian gold medal at the World Championships. All eyes were on the Italian, who proved unbeatable throughout the 200-meter race, thus claiming his fifth world title in the event. A great silver medal went to Michele Valerio, who managed to get the better of a fierce competitor, Lauris Kaparkalejs (LAT), thus sealing a sensational Italian one-two finish. In the women’s event, Alba Mortagna unfortunately failed to defend the top spot she had secured in the qualifiers; she made it to the final but finished in fourth place.

The World Championships finally came to a close with another podium for Italy and another medal for Maria Eugenia Boccardi, who took the bronze in the Mass Start in skating, won by Norway’s Aarekol. Tommaso Dellagiacoma also finished just off the podium, placing fourth in the Mass Start after a thrilling race won by Vigants.

The action now moves to the Trentino valley, which will once again award the coveted crystal globes during a three-day event that promises to be unmissable. With just one stage remaining, Raimo Vigants and Ragnhild Aarekol sit atop both the Overall and Sprint standings. The Italian team, however, remains on the prowl, ready to strike the decisive blow on home turf.

The curtain rises on Friday, September 18, with the 10km Mass Start in classic technique. The race starts from the centre of Ziano di Fiemme and then winds its way along the spectacular slopes of Alpe Cermis.

Saturday, September 19, will be dedicated to the Sprint in free technique, scheduled on the famous Via Nazionale straightaway, along a 200-meter course that will put the spotlight on Becchis and Valerio. On Sunday, September 20, the world’s best roller skiers will take to the track for the Team Sprint TL, a relay race that will take place along a 2.24 km circuit.

Val di Fiemme, with the efforts of the Nordic Ski Val di Fiemme Committee, is eagerly awaiting the awarding of the Crystal Globes. However, the work does not stop there: the valley will host the Nordic Combined World Cup from December 11 to 13, followed by the FIS Continental Cup of Ski Jumping on December 19 and 20, and the 21st Tour de Ski from January 8 to 10, 2027.