Jaunumi

In the middle of this month, from 12-14 August Latvian Skiing Association (LSA) in cooperation with Madona municipality and society “A-Madona” will organize World cup in rollerskiing, which will be the third stage this year. This competition, where both juniors and adults will take part, will be a stage event and will contain three competition days with sprint, prologue and pursuit. Approximately one hundred athletes form ten countries are expected to compete.

Last year after ten years of absence World cup in rollerskiing returned to Latvia once again and took place for the first time in Vidzemes skiing centre Madona. This tradition will be continued and Madona will host World cup also this year.  In the beginning of June inspector of FIS Anna Rosa from Italy visited Madona. She highly appreciated Madonas readiness to host such a high level competition in rollerskiing second year in a row.  Rosa expressed compliments both to the well developed infrastructure and competition course, and also to the city. FIS inspector also praised the experience of representatives of LSA and society “A- Madona”.

Last year participated round one hundred competitors from ten countries, and also this year is expected that approximately the same amount of participants and countries will be represented. In the middle of August in Madona will arrive rollerskiers from all Baltic countries, Scandinavia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Germany, Kazakhstan, France and Italy.  On the first day athletes will compete in 200m sprint in free technique in the city centre – the same slightly uphill Raina street as last year, when gathered quite a lot spectators and also atmosphere was thrilling.  Saturday and Sunday rollerskiers will move to “Smeceres sils” track, where are scheduled prologue in classical style with interval start and pursuit in free technique.  As this third stage in Madona will be as “stage event”, what means that athletes have to compete in every discipline, except case, when some are outspoken sprinters, who can compete only on first day. On Sunday in pursuit competitors will start in accordance with their results on the first two days.

Last year on the first day four different countries earned victory, Sweden and Italy winning the adult group, but Latvia and Russia triumphed in juniors. On next two days became apparent Swedens dominance, when “yellow-blues” won 7 out 8 races, and only one remaining victory went to Belarus, because in the mens pursuit fastest in the finish sprint was belarusian veteran, multiple times top6 finisher at the Worlds and Olympics Sergey Dolidovich.

Along side with World cup, also the second stage of Latvian national championships for youth and veteran group will take place all those three days and with same programme, but the length of distances on Saturday and Sunday for youth will be shorter than for World cup participants.  Same as on 23 and 24 July in Priekuli also this stage of national championships will be opened, what means that also rollerskiers from other countries can take part and can win medals, if they make top3.

Wishing pleasant and lucky competition,
The speaker of World cup and national championships
Ivars Bācis