Korhonen sprints to first Summer Grand Prix victory in Val di Fiemme

It was a day full of sunshine, speed, and suspense in Ziano di Fiemme as the Summer Grand Prix 2025 reached its thrilling conclusion.

The competition started in the morning on the Giuseppe dal Ben HS109, where Japan’s Yuna Kasai delivered the longest jump of the day with 99.5 meters (128.6 pts). With that performance she secured the lead and the right to open the afternoon’s 5 km roller ski race.

Close behind her was Finland’s Minja Korhonen, who landed at 97 meters (128.5 pts) - only 0.1 points behind Kasai. This meant both athletes entered the race shoulder to shoulder. Fellow Finn Heta Hirvonen followed in third after a 97.5-meter jump (124.8 pts), starting 15 seconds behind the leaders.

The roller ski race on the 2.5 km city course through Ziano di Fiemme provided plenty of drama in front of an enthusiastic crowd. After the first lap, Korhonen held a narrow advantage of just 0.3 seconds over Kasai, while Alexa Brabec (USA) trailed 10.7 seconds behind, chased closely by Hirvonen (+11.2 sec). Overall leader Nathalie Armbruster, who had been only 9th after jumping, showed her strength on skis and quickly moved into 5th place.

The decisive moment came in the final lap. Korhonen tried to break away from Kasai, but the Japanese athlete stayed glued to her skis. In the finishing sprint, however, the Finn had the stronger kick and celebrated her first Summer Grand Prix victory, finishing 3.3 seconds ahead of Kasai. Hirvonen secured third place (+28.2 sec), while Brabec faded in the last kilometers.

With 4th place, Armbruster not only confirmed her ski power but also successfully defended her overall lead, securing the Summer Grand Prix 2025 title ahead of Korhonen and Slovenia’s Ema Volavšek. Volavšek also celebrated the win in the Best Skier Trophy, while Korhonen crowned her day by taking home the Blue Bib as Best Jumper.