Successful FIS Youth Cup weekend in Harrachov (CZE)
Jan 18, 2021·Nordic Combined
In spite of the current difficult situation to host events, weather difficulties and travel restrictions, the organisers in Harrachov (CZE) hosted the first FIS Youth Cup of the season last weekend. "10 days before the event, we didn't have any snow on the tracks and then three days before the event, we suddenly had lots of snow," says Czech Ski Association Nordic Combined Sports Director Tomas Slavik. "We also only got the permission to host the event in this situation 10 days before it started. But we made it and couldn't be more happy."
A total of 46 athletes, 31 men and 15 women from eight different nations travelled to the Czech Republik to take part in a total of eight Individual Gundersen competitions across four different age and gender categories.
Italy’s Manuel Senorer and Czech Lukas Dolezal split the victories and second places in the Youth I Boys category with Senorer winning by 45 seconds on day 1 and Dolezal by 26 seconds on day 2. Czech Jachym Hdrina completed the podium on Saturday, while Ondrej Balatka (CZE) was third on Sunday.
The Youth I Girls category was a Czech-only affair and here Daniela Pestova set the standard on both days, winning by one minute and nine seconds ahead of teammate Eva Hollmanova and +1:20 ahead of Karoline Horke. On Sunday, Horka managed to claim rank two, +0:22 after Pestova and Hollmanova finished third (+1:01).
Jiri Konvalinka and Jan Simek from the home team proved unbeatable in the Youth II Boys category and split the victories and second places. While 52 seconds separated them on day 1 and a further +1:22 saw third-placed David Brückl from Germany finish on rank three, Simek claimed victory by 16 seconds in Sunday’s event. Pepe Schula from the German team placed third, +0:40 seconds after the winner.
The strong German team claimed all podium places on both days in the Youth II Girls category. Marie Nähring proved to be the fastest athlete on the 5 km distance on Saturday and beat teammates Cindy Haasch and Emilia Görlich by +0:36 and +0:40 seconds. The shorter 2.5 km event on Sunday ended with a victory by Haasch. She beat Nähring by nine seconds and Emilia Görlich finished on rank three again, +0:19 seconds after her teammate.
