Federica Sanfilippo wins in the Casies Valley. © Newspower.it

Sanfilippo wins, Azzurri beat Cologna

On February 18, 1984, Albert Walder and Johanna Rehmann were the first to enroll in the list of honor for the Gsieser Tal Run; they won the 40 km race. Andreas Brunner and Carmen Griessmair were the first winners over the short distance, then over 25 km. Today, around 40 years later, it was of course a completely different race.

18. February 2024

From: pm/dl

The spectators saw fast and eventful skating competitions. In the men's 30 km race, Giacomo Gabrielli prevailed against the young Davide Ghio and Matteo Tanel in an exciting finish sprint with ten athletes, although the Branzoll roller skier struggled at the beginning and started a strong race to catch up, especially in the last few kilometers.

The South Tyrolean Julia Kuen started with the intention of running the marathon route, but when she was informed shortly before the crossing of the routes that she would be the first to cross the finish line, she decided to run straight to the finish of the 30 km to take victory: “The race went really well and the decision to run the short distance paid off!” The German biathlete Stefanie Scherer came second, Federica Cassol completed the podium: “I didn't realize that right away It was a podium finish because I had no idea how many athletes were in front of me. It is a great satisfaction to come third,” said the Italian from the army sports group.

Cologne as a superstar

There was also a top-class race on the 42 km route. Giandomenico Salvadori and Paolo Ventura immediately made their mark and decided to attack in the early stages. The two took the lead, Salvadori then pulled away a little after about 29 kilometers and was able to maintain his lead on the climb near St. Magdalena. The 21-year-old reached the finish first after 1h 36'07", Paolo Ventura came second and Luca Del Fabbro third. Worth mentioning is the strong 6th place of the Swiss Dario Cologna, who was thrilled by the beauty of the route and the organization of the event when he took part in the Gsieser Tal Run for the first time. Giacomo Petrini from Subiaco, who competes for the Sesvenna ski club, also achieved a great result. The Azzurro, who recently returned from the Junior World Championships in Planica, took an excellent eighth place.

It seems as if Subiaco is a hotbed of cross-country skiing talent, because Maria Gismondi also comes from there: The newly crowned junior world champion took second place in the 42 km race today after winning the mountain classification in St. Magdalena. “On the descent I lost the lead I had gained. I think Federica (Sanfilippo) found a man in whose slipstream she was running, which allowed her to catch up,” said the 2-year-old from the police sports group.

Dario Cologna was also there on Sunday. © Newspower

At the finish in St. Martin, her teammate Federica Sanfilippo was ahead after a hard-fought sprint until the end: “The race was tough, and at the beginning there was a lot of confusion due to the numerous men on the slopes. I did my best on the climb and caught up on the descent. I'm very happy because it was my first participation on the 42 km route of the Gsieser," says the winner. Behind Sanfilippo and Gismondi, Martina Di Centa completed the podium. “There were a few accidents, I fell at the start due to contact. I got a stick in the face and started bleeding too, but I still got on the podium, so I'm happy,” said the carabiniera.

Daniele Serra (South Tyrol Sprint), Giandomenico Salvadori (Hoku Sprint) and Martina Di Centa (Mila Sprint) were victorious in the sprints of the day. The title “King and Queen of the Mountain” went to Giuseppe Montello and Maria Gismondi: They won the mountain climb near St. Magdalena (by Hotel Quelle). The Euregio U23 trophy was won yesterday in the classic race by Maria Eurosia Debertolis and Alessandro Morelato, while today it went to Sara Hutter and Denis Doliana. It is worth mentioning that yesterday the young cross-country skiers were also honored in the combined ranking of the Mini Gsieser and the Skiri Trophy for the U10 to U16 categories. Around 40 starters took part on the two days of the 2600th anniversary.

From Sanfilippo to Cologna: The Interviews

The results

42km Men's FT
1. Salvadori Giandomenico GS Fiamme Gialle 1:36.07,3; 2. Ventura Paolo CS Esercito 1:36.36,8; 3. Del Fabbro Luca GS Fiamme Gialle 1:37.05,7; 4. Montello Giuseppe CS Esercito 1:37.06,0; 5. Romano Lorenzo GS Carabinieri 1:37.11,9; 6. Cologna Dario CH 1:38.03,7; 7. Fanton Paolo Team Futura 1:38.04,3; 8. Petrini Giacomo SC Sesvenna 1:38.05,6; 9.Armellini Mattia GS Fiamme Oro 1:38.17,2; 10. Ticcò Giovanni GS Fiamme Oro 1:38.17,5

42km Women's FT
1. Sanfilippo Federica GS Fiamme Oro 1:48.12,7; 2. Gismondi Maria GS Fiamme Oro 1:48.13,6; 3. Di Centa Martina CS Carabinieri 1:49.43,9; 4. Bellini Martina CS Esercito 1:50.06,6; 5. Hutter Sara GS Fiamme Oro 1:50.07,4; 6. Colombo Laura CS Esercito 1:52.21,5; 7. Larsen Hanna Kristine SK Vidar 1:53.17,6; 8. Comarella Anna GS Fiamme Oro 1:53.19,7; 9. My Susi SC Zweisimmen 1:54.30,2; 10. Slide Ylvie CS Carabinieri 1:56.18,2

30km Men's FT
1. Gabrielli Giacomo CS Esercito 1:07.16,0; 2. Ghio Davide Gs Fiamme Gialle 1:07.16,1; 3. Tanel Matteo Team Robinson Trentino 1:07.16,3; 4. Pedranzini Daniel SC Alta Valtellina A. 1:07.16,4; 5. Pozzi Federico Gs Fiamme Oro 1:07.16,8; 6. Forneris Edoardo SC Alpi Marittime 1:07.16,9; 7. Galli Teo Sporting Club Livigno 1:07.17,0; 8. Busin Lorenzo Team Internorm Alpenplus Trentino 1:07.17,5; 9. Negroni Davide Gs Fiamme Gialle 1:07.18,0; 10. Pinzani Marco Sci CAI Monte Lussari 1:07.21,5

30km Women's FT
1. Kuen Julia Team Futura 1:14.35,8; 2. Scherer Stefanie Sc Wall 1:15.47,1; 3. Cassol Federica CS Esercito 1:15.54,4; 4. Cena Virginia Gs Fiamme Gialle 1:16.39,7; 5. Folie Marit Gs Fiamme Gialle 1:16.39,9; 6. Schwitzer Marie CS Carabinieri Sez. S 1:17.46,6; 7. Negrin Irene SC Prali Val Germanasca 1:18.20,7; 8. Salvadori Manuela Gs Fiamme Oro 1:18.35,4; 9. Nani Gemma SC Alta Valtellina A. 1:19.19,2; 10. Müller Franziska Sc Immenstadt/Team Forever Nordic 1:20.46,0