Para Nordic : the season finally kicked off in Toblach

After the cancellation of the events in Pokljuka (SLO), the 2024 Para Nordic World Cup began in Toblach (ITA) with four events on the schedule: two 10km races in classic style, the first with interval starts and the second with a mass start, a sprint, a 5km race for the sitting category and a 10km freestyle race for the other categories.

At the end of the first two days of competition, leaders have already emerged in each category. In the Women Sitting category, after an entire season away from the international circuit, Oksana Masters (USA) made her big return at this first stage of the World Cup held in Italy. The American didn't know what to expect before her first start since the 2022 Beijing Olympics: "[…] my expectations honestly this year, here at this World Cup, and the season in general, is getting back to racing and reminding my body how to move that fast. Because what I did not realize, you can do interval training and training, but racing is so hard to mimic. […] So I'm really not putting any expectation on results right now. It's just working on my own individual process, keeping in mind, for me, that my end goal is Milan 2026, the Winter Paralympic Games." The multiple Olympic Champion has lost none of her competitiveness as she triumphed in both 10km races, twice ahead of her compatriot Kendall Gretsch (USA) and the German Anja Wicker.

Two other female athletes also achieved a double right from the start: Vilde Nilsen (NOR) in the Women Standing category and Linn Kazmaier (GER), accompanied by her guide Florian Baumann (GER), in the Women Vision Impaired category. However, the Norwegian admitted to being nervous at the mass start: "[…] because I was starting two minutes behind the girls in front of me and seven minutes behind the first girl starting. So it was a little bit nerve-wracking, but I told myself, don't start too hard, just do what you did yesterday and it worked!" Liudmyla Liashenko (UKR) and Brittany Hudak shared second and third place in both 10km classic races behind the leader of the Women Standing category. Inspired by her compatriot who won the first two events, Leonie Maria Walter (GER), accompanied by her guide Christian Krasman (GER), enabled Germany to achieve two doubles in two days. The podium of the Women Vision Impaired category was completed by Simona Bubenickova (CZE) and her guide David Srutek (CZE) at the end of the first event, and by the Ukrainian duo Nataliia Tkachenko and Ivan Marchyshak at the end of the second.

In the men's events, the standout performer of the first two days was Giuseppe Romele (ITA), the undisputed winner and deeply moved to be able to compete at home. "It doesn't seem real to me because I continue to speak the little English I know with people because I'm not used to playing at home. I have to thank the organization because they really had a wonderful race, I also thank the air force station for their hospitality because we are having very good time." confessed the leader of the Men Sitting category. Behind him, Pavlo Bal (UKR) and Derek Zaplotinsky (CAN) completed the podium twice.

In the Men Standing and Men Vision Impaired categories, the battle for victory in the 10km races was thrilling. Second at the end of the first event and winner of the second, Taiki Kawayoke (JPN) now wears the red bib as the leader of the Men Standing category. Close behind him in the mass start event, Canadian Mark Arendz clinched gold at the end of the first race. Bronze went to Witold Skupien (POL) twice. Finally, in the Men Vision Impaired category, it was a Sweden-USA duel presented to the Italian audience on Wednesday and Thursday. Winners the day before, the duo of Jake - Jake Adicoff (USA) and his guide Jake Brown (USA) - came back against the Swedish pair of Zebastian Modin and his guide Emil Joensson in a frantic sprint towards the finish line of the mass start event. Thomas Oxaal (NOR), accompanied by his guide Geir Lervik (NOR), completed the podium of the same event while the Ukrainians Oleksandr Kazik and his guide Serhii Kucheriavyi, bronze medalists the day before, skipped the second day of competition.

Photos © Newspower.it