Villars-sur-Ollons – With the Mixed Relay format ready to make its debut at the Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, today was the first ever inclusion of the thrilling format on the Youth World Cup circuit. And tthere’s no place better for the much awaited debut than the venue that will host the Winter Olympics in two years time: Bormio.
Eight teams lined up for the A Final, one per country, with some of the greater stars of the season toeing the start line. France made clear that they would be hard ones to beat when they selected their team for the A Final: Louise Trincaz and Jules Ribaud, both of them U20 and multiple times on the podium both at the Youth World Cup circuit and the European Championships last month.
Also Spain had a stellar line up, with Laia Selles (U18) and Biel Pujol (U20), both of them winners of their sprint race yesterday.
And quite soon into the race the battle was just between these two teams, with Italy, Andorra, Switzerland and the Czec Republic fighting for the last step on the podium.
The second leg of the girls saw Lea Ancion (AND) and Melissa Bertolina (ITA) opening a bit of a gap with Margaux Mendes de Leon (SUI) and Eva Matejovicova (CZE) trying to stay at their feet.
Ahead of them, another impressive performance for Selles, with smooth and incredibly fast transitions, put her on the lead, but just a few meters ahead of Louise Trincaz for Team France.
But the second leg for the men proved to be decisive, and Jules Ribaud managed to leave behind Biel Pujol in the last ascent, to cross the finish line in the first place, giving France their first ever victory on a Mixed Relay at the Youth World Cup.
Pujol managed to keep the second place despite the great efforts of Hermann Debertolis (ITA), who delighted the local crowds with their bronze medal. Alex Palmitjavilla (AND) kept the fourth place for Team Andorra, while Lucas Pasquier (SUI) crossed the finish line in fifth place.
About the ISMF:
Founded in 2007, the ISMF is the global governing body for competitive ski mountaineering. Since 2016, the organisation has been officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Its main goals are the promotion, regulation and development of the sport of ski mountaineering worldwide. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the ISMF’s membership consists of 49 national federations located in Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The ISMF organizes ski mountaineering Senior and Youth World Cups, as well as Masters and World Championships. For the first time, ski mountaineering was a medal sport at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been included in the programme of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
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