Busy Continental Cup season in Cross-Country Skiing
Wed, Apr 7, 2010 - By FIS
The FIS Continental Cup series all over the world are some of the most important Cross-Country competitions. They allow the younger athletes to prepare themselves for the World Cup level and as a bonus, the Continental Cup winners/leaders are allowed to compete in the World Cup Final. Some of the successful athletes took advantage of this rule change and participated in the World Cup Final in Sweden.
The OPA Cup in Central Europe was a great success this season. 19 events in 9 different venues and six countries took place. The winners, and therefore holders of a fixed starting place during the first World Cup period next year, are France's Anouk Faivre Picon and Dietmar Nöckler of Italy. Faivre Picon won the ladies' ranking 245 points ahead Virgina De Martin Topranin (ITA). Nöckler took this first his overall victory 280 points ahead of teammate Fulvio Scola.
In the Scandinavian Cup, 8 different venues with a total of 13 competitions were included. The Norwegians dominated the series having eight skiers in the men's Top 10, and five athletes among the Top 8 on the ladies' side. Kristian Tettli Rennemo (NOR) and many-time junior world champion Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR) won the overall rankings clearly.
The US SuperTour ended last week with the Finals in Fort Kent and Madawaska. The Finals featured a Tour de Ski format including a 30/50km free technique mass start, a 7.5/10km classic mass start, a classic sprint and the final 5/6km Gunderson start free technique hill climb. The overall winners were Rebecca Dussault and Chris Cook (both USA).
The winners of the other North-American Continental Cup series, the NorAm Cup in Canada, were Canadians Daria Gaiazova and Graham Nishikawa. In the Eastern European Cup, the titles went to Olga Schuchkina and Ivan Alypov (both RUS). The Slavic Cup is not finished yet.
The 2010/2011 Continental Cup season will kick off in July/August with the Southern hemisphere series.
Contributed by Sandra Spitz