GJERDALEN (NOR) SEIZES VICTORY AT MARCIALONGA

Tord Asle Gjerdalen and Katerina Smutna master the Italian ski-marathon

Norway’s Anders Aukland and Øystein Pettersen second and third

Laila Kveli (NOR) and Seraina Boner (SUI) on the female podium

Italian Orlandi and Pellegrini win the Light race

 

 

First time in career and first time ever on the highest step of the podium of the Marcialonga ski-marathon in Italy. Tord Asle Gjerdalen of Norway has today won the 42^nd running of the long-distance XC skiing event ahead of countrymen Anders Aukland and Øystein Pettersen. Former member of the Czech national team and currently Austrian skier Katerina Smutna has also made her debut today on the Italian Dolomites and exactly as her Norwegian colleague she jumped on the very first step of the final podium preceding Laila Kveli of Norway and Seraina Boner of Switzerland.

“The last part was tough but I must admit it – said today’s winner after the race – I also had a lot of fun. I knew the final climb was the key to the victory and I never gave up.”

Around 7.000 skiers of all kinds from over 30 countries, from long-distance superstars to cross country skiing amateurs, gathered at the start in Mazzin this morning, ready to enjoy the 57k track to Cavalese, and a huge group of about a hundred skiers led the race to Canazei (6.3km) and up to the town of Vigo (17.6km). Nobody could make the decisive move and the following intermediates read a bunch of 30 skiers in the lead. Once the town of Molina di Fiemme was reached, Anders Aukland and his brother Jørgen speeded up but the first to enter the Cascata last climb was Øystein Pettersen. The gold medallist from Vancouver earned up to 7 seconds gap on Anders Aukland and three further chasers Gjerdalen, Berdal and Eriksson. Just when the game looked over, Anders Aukland made his move and it took him a few hundreds meters to catch Pettersen, with Gjerdalen and Eriksson both stuck behind him with only 600 meters left to race. At that exact point, Gjerdalen decided to jump in the lead eventually ending up on the highest step of the podium of the 42^nd Marcialonga.

As for women, Czech-born Katerina Smutna started very fast, but she had to fight hard with Boner, Kveli, Johansson Norgren and Ishida among others, all the way to the Cascata climb. On the eventual uphill she managed to jump in the front of the female group and finished almost 10 seconds ahead of Kveli.

The Marcialonga ski-marathon was part of the Worldloppet, FIS Marathon Cup and Swix Ski Classics series. Aukland and Smutna are the new Swix Ski Classics leaders.

The Marcialonga Light race took place in the morning along a 33k course from Mazzin to Predazzo. The winners were the Italian Luca Orlandi and Sara Pellegrini.

Info: www.marcialonga.it

 

Download TV images:

www.broadcaster.it

 

RESULTS

 

Men - 57 km

1. GJERDALEN Tord Asle NOR 2:05.15,8; 2. AUKLAND Anders NOR 2:05.18,4; 3. PETTERSEN Oeystein NOR 2:05.21,7; 4. ERIKSSON Jens SWE 2:05.24,5; 5. BERDAL Tore Bjoerseth NOR 2:05.34,3; 6. NOVAK Petr CZE 2:05.39,4; 7. ELIASSEN Petter NOR 2:05.41,6; 8. AUKLAND Joergen NOR 2:05.47,8; 9. HOELGAARD Stian NOR 2:05.52,2; 10. AHRLIN Jerry SWE 2:05.55,2

 

Ladies - 57 km

1. SMUTNA Katerina AUT 2:20.32,3; 2. KVELI Laila NOR 2:20.42,2; 3. BONER Seraina SUI 2:20.44,5; 4. MELINA Viktoria RUS 2:21.16,2; 5. JOHANSSON NORGREN Britta SWE 2:22.13,3; 6. ISHIDA Masako JPN 2:23.47,9; 7. KORSGREN Lina SWE 2:24.23,0; 8. LOEFSTROEM Annika SWE 2:25.36,7; 9. DABUDYK Aurelie FRA 2:26.51,3; 10. BOUDIKOVA Adela CZE 2:28.28,0

 

Men - Light 33 km

1. ORLANDI Luca ITA 1:07.58,9; 2. BARANNIKOV Aleksey RUS 1:12.27,2; 3. TORESEN Jens Petter NOR 1:15.25,6; 4. BIANCHINI Alessandro ITA 1:26.28,5; 5. MOLLY Olivier ITA 1:33.41,8; 6. D'AGOSTINI Giacomo ITA 1:35.01,4; 7. BERNARDI Marco ITA 1:35.58,1; 8. COMITTI Luca ITA 1:38.37,8; 9. RIPAMONTI Simone ITA 1:42.16,1; 10. SKANTZE Fred SWE 1:43.25,9

 

Ladies - Light 33 km

1. PELLEGRINI Sara ITA 1:16.04,5; 2. GIANOLA Elisa ITA 1:30.34,3; 3. COLNAGHI CALISSONI Laura ITA 1:33.44,2; 4. BRATLIE Ida NOR 1:34.12,5; 5. POLAKOVA KALALOVA Tereza CZE 1:34.37,9; 6. DA ROS Alessandra ITA 1:34.56,2; 7. OSTBERG Karin SWE 1:43.36,9; 8. D'AGOSTINI Arianna ITA 1:48.08,7; 9. SIVERTSSON Irene SWE 1:49.59,9; 10. BOSIN Deborah ITA 1:50.23,5