Klobenstein will soon be full of activity again. © PM Sportissimus

The Junior World Cup final will take place at the Ritten Ice Ring

The 2024/25 speed skating season is entering the home stretch. For the ice rink at the Ritten Arena in Klobenstein, this means two major events are just around the corner.

16 January 2025

From: pm

It starts on the weekend of February 1st and 2nd with the last stage of the ISU Junior World Cup, before the Junior World Championships take place the following week. The demand for the first competition on the Ritten is huge: around 270 athletes from 30 different nations are expected.

The number of participants for the Junior World Cup is therefore higher than originally expected, as OC coordinator Barbara Tschager reports two weeks before the showdown: "This presents us with a challenge, because we are responsible for accommodation and transport." But this does not faze the well-rehearsed Ritten organization team. "The preparations are well advanced. We are ready, fully equipped and looking forward to this large and important sporting event. 100 volunteers will lend us a hand and ensure that the athletes from all parts of the world lack nothing," emphasises Tschager.

The ice rink of the Ritten Arena, which has been in operation since mid-November, is also in excellent condition. "In the last few weeks and months, a competition has taken place here almost every weekend. All the athletes have been delighted with the condition of the ice so far. We have had a very intensive season this winter, but that doesn't worry us. The ice rink is being used a lot," says Tschager happily. The biggest competitions are still to come with the Junior World Cup and the ISU Junior World Championship a week later. Then the Ritten Arena will welcome top international athletes, as has already been the case in the past as part of six World Cups and the 2019 Allround European Championship.

A Rittnerin takes part

The only downside is the number of Ritten athletes who will be competing in the two major events. Only Maybritt Vigl has qualified for the Junior World Cup; she will be competing in the Neo-Senior category (20 to 23 years old). Romedius Thurner, who is also a Neo-Senior, and his sister Carmen Thurner, who falls into the Junior A and B category (15 to 19 years old), did not take part in the first two Junior World Cups in Poland. This means that they do not have the necessary points and times to qualify for the Junior World Cup on Ritten. Because only Junior A and B compete in the Junior World Championships, no local ice athletes will be taking part in the second major event.

Local hero Maybritt Vigl competes in the Neo-Senior category.

In addition to the number of athletes, the program for the Junior World Cup has also been decided. The competitions will start at 1 a.m. on Saturday, February 9st. First on the program are the 1000 meters, then the 3000 meters, and the first day of competition will be concluded with the team sprints. On Sunday, February 2nd, the competitions will open at 9 a.m. with the qualification for the mass start, before the 500 and 1500 meters are completed. The ISU Junior World Cup 2024/25 will then conclude with the mass start finals.

Because Ritten is hosting the last stage of this year's Junior World Cup season, the fight for daily victories and overall victories will take place in Klobenstein. Highly exciting competitions are therefore already on the agenda.