News from the Cross-Country family

Thu, May  28, 2009 - By FIS

After the long winter season we will continue with our column "News from the Cross-Country family". Here we will inform about the changes in the family life of the athletes and staff around the Cross-Country circus which have come to the attention of the FIS Cross-Country News.

Two great male skiers announced their retirement after the season 2008/09: Tor Arne Hetland (NOR) and Gion-Andrea Bundi (SUI). The 35-year-old veteran Hetland retired because of a lingering knee injury and asthma."I feel like I am quitting while I am at the top," he said. Hetland made significant sprint history, being the first sprint world champion in 2001, the first Olympic champion in sprint in 2002 as well as the first world champion in team sprint in 2005. 32-year-old Bundi represented Switzerland in five FIS Nordic World Ski Championships since 1999 and will best be remembered for his victory in the Engadin Ski Marathon in 2005.

Thanks to both of them for their great contributions to the Cross-Country sport. The FIS Cross-Country News wishes them all the best for the future.

From France we received the information that World Cup skier Coraline Hugue hurt herself on 12th April. She is suffering from injury in her left knee and had a surgery on 6th May. Get well soon Coraline!

Great news can be announced by the German World Cup skier Jens Filbrich and his girlfriend Janet Klein, a former biathlete. The couple became parents of son Lennox on 30th April.

Already in late March, Valerio Checchi and wife Francesca celebrated the birth of their daughter Beatrice. Another new papa is Ivano Zambelli, technican of the Italian Ski Team. His girlfriend Sonia gave birth to a son named Andrea.

Just yesterday, Uros Ponikvar, one of the semi-professional TDs, became father for the second time. His wife Valerija gave birth to a little girl named Masa.

Another happy news from the Italian Ski Team comes from Antonella Confortola. The top skier from Italy and a talented mountain runner married her partner and seven-time mountain runner World Champion Jonathan Wyatt from New Zealand in April.

The FIS Cross-Country News congratulates the new parents and families and wishes them all the best for the future.