ERMIL VOKUEV: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!

The Russian athlete takes the lead immediately after the start and wins
Fotofinish for the second place between Stadaas and Vylegzhanin. 5th position for Gjerdalen
Ida Dahl sprints in the final and arrives before Slind and Korsgren. 4th position for Norgren
Marcialonga is a great success, 4120 participants!

Every Marcialonga has its own story and the 49th edition has a beautiful tale to tell. To be honest, for the men race, the story is exciting but very short. A sunny day today on the track of Val di Fassa and Fiemme (Italy), cool in the morning and warm when the sun started to rise behind the Dolomites painting them with the typical pink color of the Enrosadira.
The winner was the Russian Ermil Vokuev, who took the lead of the race immediately after the start, a lonely performance of 70 never-ending kilometers. It had never happened in the 49 previous editions. On the podium, after the fotofinish, Kasper Stadaas (NOR) conquered the second position, and Maxim Vylegzhanin (RUS) won the bronze medal only for few centimeters. For the women race, a not surprising success for the Swedish Ida Dahl who was able to control Astrid Øyre Slind (NOR) and Lina Korsgren (SWE).
Concerning Marcialonga Light (45 km), gold medal for the Finnish Robin Maenpaa and for Stefania Corradini from Trentino. The participants to the race were totally 4120 from 37 nations, an important datum, especially in this particular period.
The race started first with the athletes of the Visma Ski Classics. The Russian Vokuev was probably in a hurry this morning and, as soon as he left the soccer field of Moena, he immediately took the lead of the race. The favorite athlete, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, today was not wearing his typical hat but only his Ray-Ban sunglasses and he immediately decided to chase the race’s leader with a group of 30 athletes. Vokuev immediately showed his strength and conquered all the ‘Sprints’, from the first at the 7th kilometer in Vigo di Fassa, till the last in Molina di Fiemme at the 65th kilometer. He kept conquering seconds on the “chasers” Johansson, Vylegzhanin, Berg, Vesterheim already from the first kilometers in Pera di Fassa.
Disseminated along the path, just after the group, the Finnish Maenpaa, the two athletes of the Team Robinson Cerutti and Bompard, all participating to the ‘Light’ 45 km race. In Pozza di Fassa Vokuev prolonged his solitary escape while, Nygaard, Berg, Vesterheim, Gjerdalen, Novak ed Eklöf were left behind. The Italians entered the following group, Nöckler (from Alto Adige) among the first 20 and Brigadoi 36th. Gjerdalen was extremely self-confident and he tried to lead the group and reduce the gap of 2’ on the race’s leader who was reaching Predazzo. But the chasing group did not find an agreement and Vokuev increased his advantage and arrived at the ‘Sprint’ in Lago di Tesero with 2’14 on Berg, Johansson, Gjerdalen, Vylegzhanin, Persson and Stadaas, while the Italian Nöckler and Brigadoi had a delay of 3’.
On the Cascata uphill, more or less 3 km from the arrival in Cavalese, Vokuev looked behind to understand the situation. He realized he was alone and he continued with his spectacular action to reach the finishing line. A super-active Gjerdalen tried to leave his group behind while Novak and Vylegzhanin found an agreement. The Russian Ermil Vokuev, after concluding the most incredible solo race of (2h51’58”) Marcialonga’s history, received the laurel crown directly from the president Angelo Corradini and by the ‘Soreghina’ (Miss Val di Fiemme and Fassa) Silvia Zorzi. Final fotofinish challenge for the second place between the Norwegian Stadaas and the Russian Vylegzhanin, who had saved energies for the entire race and then concluded with a final spectacular sprint. Bronze medal for Stadaas at his first experience in Marcialonga. The Norwegian athletes Nygaard and Gjerdalen arrived 4th and 5th.
The most important moment of the women race was at the 36th km, when the Swedish Dahl and the Norwegian Slind decided to leave the group after the Soraga uphill, while Britta Johansson Norgren and Lina Korsgren were following them (12”). Ida Dahl arrived first at the ‘Sprint’ in Lago di Tesero, followed by Slind e Korsgren. Dahl, at the beginning of the Cascata uphill, changed the pace and Slind could not follow her. The Swedish Dahl, with the yellow bib of the Ski Classics leader, conquered the first important classic race of her career. Second place for Slind and third for the Swedish Korsgren. Johansson only 4th.
The Italian Lorenzo Cerutti and Andrea Bompard (Team Robinson Trentino) reached the finishing line of ‘Light’ race in Predazzo and conquered a silver and a bronze medal. The gold medal went to the Finnish Robin Maenpaa. For the women light race, victory for Stefania Corradini (Internorm Trentino), followed by the German Franziska Mueller and by the Czech Adela Boudikova.
The Russian Maxim Vylegzhanin and the Swedish Ida Dahl won the Prize Final Climb Dolomiti Energia, while Andreas Nygaard and, again, Dahl were the best in the last kilometer. The Prize Star Pool was won by the Russian Winter Team with Ermil Vokuev and by the Team Ramudden with Ida Dahl.
In the afternoon, all the other athletes arrived one after the others: tired faces but great personal satisfaction… the Marcialonga finisher medal has a special value!
Marcialonga 49th edition was extremely successful; the track supported the skis of the 4000 athletes and everyone respected the anti-covid regulations. It’s the end, but only for this year. The volunteers and the committee chaired by Angelo Corradini will start soon to organize the 50th edition.

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Marcialonga 70 km - men
1 VOKUEV Ermil RUS 02:51:58; 2 STADAAS Kasper NOR 02:52:43; 3 VYLEGZHANIN Maxim RUS 02:52:43; 4 NYGAARD Andreas NOR 02:52:43; 5 GJERDALEN Tord Asle NOR 02:52:44; 6 EKLOEF Johannes SWE 02:52:53; 7 SHEMIAKIN Alexey RUS 02:52:54; 8 NOVAK Max SWE 02:52:57; 9 PAUS Herman NOR 02:53:05; 10 VESTERHEIM Magnus NOR 02:53:16

Marcialonga 70 km - women
1 DAHL Ida SWE 03:15:16; 2 SLIND Astrid Oeyre NOR 03:15:47; 3 KORSGREN Lina SWE 03:18:16; 4 JOHANSSON NORGREN Britta SWE 03:18:39; 5 SMEDAAS Magni NOR 03:19:10; 6 TSAREVA Olga RUS 03:19:12; 7 KVELI Laila SWE 03:21:23; 8 ALNAES Anikken Gjerde NOR 03:22:24; 9 HEISKANEN Heli FIN 03:24:51; 10 JOENSSON HAAG Anna SWE 3:24:57

Marcialonga Light - men
1 MAENPAA Robin FIN 01:55:53; 2 CERUTTI Lorenzo ITA 02:00:59; 3 BOMPARD Andrea ITA 02:02:46; 4 SANDOZ Daniel SUI 02:11:40; 5 VINOGRADOV Alexey RUS 02:14:28; 6 CARRARO Lorenzo ITA 02:19:52; 7 IHLE HANSEN Hakon NOR 02:22:10; 8 CHISTALEV Mikhail RUS 02:23:59; 9 KOMLEV Yury AUT 02:24:38; 10 FERRARI Stefano ITA 02:34:46

Marcialonga Light - women
1 CORRADINI Stefania ITA 02:12:40; 2 MUELLER Franziska GER 02:15:48; 3 BOUDIKOVA Adela CZE 02:17:05; 4 SCHWINGSHACKL Thea ITA 02:39:54; 5 BERI Paola ITA 02:47:30; 6 BONELLI Laura ITA 02:58:09; 7 SDOBNIKOVA Ksenia RUS 03:00:30; 8 JOSEFSSON Tilde SWE 03:02:26; 9 JOEBSTL Barbara AUT 03:06:51; 10 KLINC Lora MON 03:27:03

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