A busy Rollerski weekend - summary of National events
Aug 31, 2022·Cross-Country
Besides the regular FIS Rollerski World Cup and Junior World Championships in Latvia, as well as the largest loppet race in the southern hemisphere with the Kangaroo Hoppet in Australia, National events in Norway and Sweden brought together the FIS Cross-Country World Cup family for exciting Rollerski and Cross-Country action.
Norway: Toppidrettsveka
From 25th to 27th August, the Toppidrettsveka took place in the Norwegian towns of Hitra, Aura and Trondheim. Along the Norwegian National Team, the French National team, U.S. national athletes as well as a line up of further international stars from the Cross-Country World Cup, the competitions promised to be spectacular.
Thursday, 25th August - 54km
The first competition of the race-series started out with 54km in Classic technique. With around one quarter of the race length left, Swedish long-distance expert Max Novak set out around to break away from the successors. Gjøran Holstad Tefre and Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget managed to follow up. However, due to problems with the material Nyenget got set back into the large group that chased around 40 seconds behind the leading duo. Novak and Tefre up front skied out a comfortable gap for the podium spots and Novak claimed the victory 1.8 seconds before Tefre. With only 0.1 second gap to the 4th placed, Mikael Gunnulfsen took the final place on the podium.
The women’s competition started out with the men’s and distance expert Astrid Øyre Slind caught the men’s pace into the competition and kept up until her contenders were out of sight. With an incredible 12 minute margin, Slind decided the womens race for herself.
Lotta Udnes Weng and Anne Kjersti Kalvå had joined forces throughout the race and crossed the finish line a half second apart.
Friday, 26th August - Sprint
The worlds top-Sprinters met up for the second race day of the Toppidrettsveka in the town of Aure. Sprint World Cup winner Maja Dahlqvist put the hammer down – also on Rollerskis – and won every heat of her race. In the finals, the 28 year-old claimed the victory before Ane Appelkvist Stenseth and Lotta Udnes Weng, who claimed her second podium spot of the weekend.
In the action packed men’s race, Sprint World Cup winner Richard Jouve and his team colleagues from France were not the only elite Sprinters on the start list. Pål Trøan Aune, from Norway, Qiang Wang from China and Erik Valnes had set the fastest time in qualification. The trio met again in the finals, together with Even Northug (NOR), Aron Åkre Rysstad (NOR) and Richard Jouve.
A photo finish proved that Erik Valnes crossed the finish line first, before Aune and Qiang Wang.
Saturday, 27th August – 15km F / Pursuit
The Granåsen Skistadium in Trondheim was the location for the final day of the Toppidrettsveka. Anne Kjersti Kalvå won the 15km on Saturday morning and took a 15 second lead to second placed Hedda Østberg Amundsen. Third placed Marte Skaanes followed with a 6 second gap.
Kalvå was not to be caught up with in the pursuit race that followed in the afternoon and thus was crowned the Overall winner before Maria Hartz Melling (NOR) and Maja Dahlqvist from Sweden.
The winner of the Toppidrettsveka in the men’s category was Harald Østberg Amundsen from Norway who passed second placed Richard Jouve with a margin of 40 seconds. Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget claimed the final podium spot.
Sweden: Trollhättan Action Week
A full week of sports and celebrations got underway Sweden, with the Trollhättan Action week. The highlights of the eventful folksfest was a full weekend of Rollerski action and the gathering of Sweden’s National Cross-Country stars, who were joint by international athletes such as the national teams of Germany and Switzerland.
Friday, 26th August - Sprint
Friday’s Sprint was the chance to claim a home victory for the worlds fastest woman on Rollerskis: Linn Sömskar. Despite a tough final touch on the course, a steady climb on the final 300m towards the finish line, the current FIS Rollerski World Cup leader left no chances for her contenders to take the victory. Nevertheless, with Victoria Carl, Katharina Hennig and Sofie Krehl from Germany, as well as Alina Meier from Switzerland and Jenny Solin from Sweden, the competition was tough in the Finals. Meier secured the second place before Carl who sprinted to the third position on the podium.
One of the tightest photo finishes let the spectators catch breath, as it came to a showdown between Swede Anton Persson and James Clugnet from Great Britain in the finals. Persson took the victory before Clugnet and Swiss youngster Valerio Grond.
Saturday, 27th August - Alliansloppet
Also the second day of Rollerski competitions during the Trollhättan Action week ended with a double Swedish victory. The 48km long-distance race was the meeting point between World Cup athletes and Skimarathon athletes.
Calle Halfvarsson was the man of the hour, when he broke away from the large field of contenders two thirds into the race. He managed to keep the speed high so that only a few skiers could follow up, but thus also had to do most of the leading work.
Halfvarsson was rewarded with a long-awaited victory of the Alliansloppet, as he crossed the finish line 2 seconds before Norwegian Amund Riege and French athlete Thomas Joly who crossed the finish line only just 0.2 seconds after Riege.
In the women’s competition, the fight for every top spot remained on throughout the entire race. Up front, Swede Emma Ribom and Norwegian Magni Smedås took over the pace maker role. Emma Ribom managed to claim the best position towards the finish line and took the victory by 0.3 seconds ahead of Norwegian Astrid Øyre Slind and Magni Smedås, who had suffered a broken pole on the last meters before the finish.
Sunday, 28th August – 15km individual Classic
The final event day of the Trollhättan Action week waited with a 15km individual race in Classic technique. A very strong Katharina Hennig left her contenders no chances to reach the set times. With a clear lead at all intermedia points, Hennig reached the finish with a margin of one minute (!). Moa Lundgren and Linn Sömskar brought two more podium spots home to the Swedish crowd that cheered along the race course.
Swedens Skimarathon expert Max Novak, who took the victory on Thursday at the Toppidrettsveka, took the lead in the mens race and had to defend tighter gaps towards his contenders. Still, he remained untouchable throughout the 15km C and claimed the win 6 seconds ahead of Morten Eide Pedersen (SWE) and Johan Hoel (NOR).
Click here for all result lists of the Trollhättan Rollerski races.
