SKI MOUNTTAINEERING. The German athlete Josef ROTTMOSER literally dominated the seniors race, while the Swiss Mireille RICHARD won the ladies race.

The results

In the men’s race, the German Josef ROTTMOSER was incontestably the strongest because he dominated each step of the Sprint race this morning. He showed off his strength in his favourite discipline, and replied present for this rendezvous, which was no real surprise on the men’s side. For the second and third places, a Swiss double finished off this podium with Marcel MARTI and Yannick ECOEUR. The first French contestant, Cyrille GARDET was in sixth place.

On the women’s side, the Swiss Mireille RICHARD just made it. After a start in the last position, she managed to overtake all her adversaries and arrive before the American, now from Chamonix, Nina SILITCH, with a powerful effort. To finish up this senior women’s podium, we should underline the lovely performance of the Swedish Emelie FORSBERG. The first Frenchwoman, Valentine FABRE, came in at  5th place.

It’s on the junior side that we find the French medals today with a magnificent junior gold medal for Corentin CERUTTI, who finished 2 seconds before his German rival, Anton PALZER after a great fight. The junior girls, Adèle MILLOZ and Fanny MEYNET-CORDONNIER distinguished themselves greatly after a fantastic race with which they picked up the first and second places.

The race : the Sprint, wazzat ?

The Sprint is a discipline which resembles the boardercross. It has the racers start off 6 by 6 over a well-defined parcourse of about 80m of altitude difference in a climb. The start given, sealskins fixed to the skis, on a rising flat ; then a succession of bends and a short portage with the skis on the rucksack. A second fix of the skis over a few metres of climb, before a "dépotage" (take off the sealskins from the skis) and at last a descent with about ten slalom gates and a skating final stretch. This parcourse was done this morning in 2min 30 for the men’s senior race. The Sprint is the strategic race par excellence, where all the manipulations have to be perfectly carried out, and where every second counts for the victory. The fight was ultra-intense this morning with all the spectators and different runners along the trail to encourage their team-mates.

ISMF
www.ismf-ski.org
11.02.2013