Linda Fink is causing a sensation.

Linda Fink wins at the Viking Race

The 36th edition of the Viking Race, an international junior speed skating competition, took place on March 13th and 14th at the famous Thialf Stadium in Heerenveen, Netherlands. This long-standing long-track event sees junior skaters aged 11 to 16 from various nations compete annually. This year, athletes from eleven countries participated, skating distances from 500 to 3000 meters.

March 15, 2026

From: pm

For Italy, the Viking Race is a particular highlight, as only the two best athletes in each age group are nominated to represent the national team. This year, ten young athletes from Ritten Sport have been called up to the Italian team: Helen Grace Endrizzi, Linda Fink, Bianca Ghisolfi, Bianca Nolli, Mariasole Nolli, Sonja Ploner, Angela Zampieri, Miriam Steiner, Elias Mulser, and Andrea Iuliani. In addition to the athletes, Nicola Mayr has also been selected as a coach for the Italian team and will accompany the young athletes during the competition at the Thialf.

The young athletes from Ritten held their own very well against strong international competition. In the 11-year-old girls' category, Helen Grace Endrizzi finished in 10th place. The competition was particularly successful in the 12-year-old girls' category: Linda Fink secured the victory, Bianca Nolli achieved an excellent third place, and Angela Zampieri finished ninth. Miriam Steiner came in ninth among the 13-year-old girls. There were also further strong results from the Italian team, including a third-place finish by Piotr Molinaroli in the 15-year-old men's category.

Coach Nicola Mayr was pleased with her athletes' performances: "The Ritten team did quite well. The women, in particular, delivered top performances once again. After a month and a half without ice, it was naturally difficult to prepare optimally for this race. Accordingly, the results were better on the second day of competition."

A particular highlight was Linda Fink's victory. The young athlete set new Italian records for her age group – records last set in 2008 – and thus confirmed her world best times for her age group in the 500 and 1000 meters. With this success, she is only the second athlete from Ritten Sport to win the Viking Race. Previously, Daniela Niederstätter achieved this feat in 1994 in the category of 11-year-old girls.