Alex Schwazer invites you to the top-class Grand Prix

Top walkers need four minutes or less to walk one kilometer. Most people can't even do that all the time. Alex Schwazer and Co. want to show the South Tyrolean audience on Saturday how fast walking can be. For the second time such a competition is taking place in Vipiteno. For the first time there is also international participation. "I'm particularly pleased that Jesùs Angel Garcia is coming to Sterzing, because he actually wanted to stop after the European Championships," said Schwazer at today's press conference in the historic council hall in Sterzing.

The 40-year-old Spaniard was already 1993 km world champion in 50. Last year he won bronze behind Trond Nymark at the World Championships in Berlin. The Norwegian, who has often trained on the Alpe di Siusi, will also be at the start in Vipiteno. There is also the entire Italian elite, starting with Olympic champion and former world champion Ivano Brugnetti as well as fourth place at the World Championships and 20 km Italian champion Giorgio Rubino. European champion Yohann Diniz also wanted to come, but the Frenchman fell on the way to the European Championship title and is still suffering from the consequences of the resulting injury. But the real star is Olympic champion Alex Schwazer. For the 25-year-old from Kalch am Jaufenpass, the home Grand Prix is of course something very special. “My form is certainly no longer the best, but in front of my home crowd I will give everything to be at the top in the end,” said Schwazer. A month ago in Barcelona he became the first South Tyrolean to win a European Championship medal, namely silver in the 20 m walk.

The 10 km competition starts on Saturday at 18 p.m. “The almost 40 walkers have to complete a 420 m long circuit 24 times. This means that the spectators are always up close to the action,” explains race director Werner Steindl. The route leads from the town square via Geizkoflerstraße, Rathausgasse and Neustadt back to the town square. A VIP walking relay will take place at 17 p.m. in aid of South Tyrolean Sporthilfe. In addition to Schwazer, numerous other top South Tyrolean athletes will also be there, including Alex's girlfriend, the European figure skating champion Carolina Kostner, the Olympic bobsleigh champion Günther Huber, the natural track luge world champion Patrick Pigneter, the triathlete Edith Niederfriniger and the former ski stars Isolde Kostner and Peter Runggaldier. Each participant completes one round.

After the competition there will be entertainment with live music in the town square. However, Alex Schwazer can't celebrate for too long. On Sunday he is the focus of the family hike for everyone in Ratschings. The meeting point is between 9 and 10 a.m. at the new gondola lift. “There are four hikes of different lengths to choose from and I probably have to go on the longest one,” jokes the 4 km Olympic champion.

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Alex Schwazer invites you to the top-class Grand Prix

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