2013 World Championships: second day in Oostende (Belgium)

Day 2

The day seemed to be so long for the athletes, spectators, organizers. The rain started falling early in the morning. By 10:00 am, the program had already been reorganized: 500M-sprint races were canceled and long-distance-races were rescheduled for the evening. At 7:20 pm, the first races started with the Senior men heats. About one hour later, the first final of the day could finally start with the Junior ladies.

Again and again for the Junior ladies!

Are the two first places of the category always going to be monopolized by the Colombians? That may be a question that one may legitimately ask. Indeed, for the first race of the World Championship of the category, once again, two Colombians, Johana Viveros and Fabriana Arias came first and second, just before Yu Ga Ram from South Korea. French skater Déborah Marchand was fourth, as last night. The fifth skater to be in the final sprint was the local Sandrine Tas. Johana Viveros raced the 15K in 24’20”043 after making the perfect race with her compatriot. We can’t say that athletes kept their hands in their pockets during the race…

Colombia and Korea copied the Junior ladies in the Junior men category!

That was a different race but the podium is similar. Alfonso Cujavante (COL) won the race in 22’24”950 before his compatriot Boris Pena (Col) and Lee Sang Cheol (South Korea). Europeans were the two other skaters to be ine the final sprint, Alberto Putignano (ITA) and Quentin Gireaudeau (FRA). The race was very impressive and somehow less aggressive than in the Junior ladies’.

First Gold Medal for Italy in the Senior ladies race! Lollobrigida kicked Colombians out of the podium!

What a crazy race, what a crazy sprint! It fought quite a lot during the race. Colombians were very disciplined and organized until the very end, ready to send their leader-rocket to the gold…But that was without counting on Francesca Lollobrigida ’speed and energy. Indeed, in the very last lap, the Italian was behind Paola Serrano (COL). In the second last corner, the Colombian badly crashed probably after a “contact” with the Italian. The referees did not give any advertising, and Francesca Lollobrigida could fly toward the arrival line. She crossed the line in 23’58”071 followed by Guo Dan (China) and Sindy Cortez (Venezuela). Colombians Maria Agudelo and Paola Serrano were the two other skaters to be in the final sprint.

After winning the Gold in Cali, Peter Michael become World Champion in Oostende!

Without Bart Swings on the starting list, it was hard to bet on someone considering all credible contenders for final victory: Fabio Francolini (ITA)? Alexis Contin (FRA)? Peter Michael (NZ)? Felix Rijnen (GER)? Patxi Peula (Spain)? Jorge Bolanos (Ecuador)? Jorge Luis Cifuentes (COL)? The race was very intense and punctuated by a few falls (including Jorge Luis Cifuentes and Jorge Bolanos). In the final, you had only five skaters left: Peter Michael, Alexis Contin and his compatriot Ewen Fernandez, Fabio Francolini and Taiwanese Chen Yangchen. New-Zealander led out the sprint soon followed by Alexis Contin and Fabio Francolini. The Italian first passed the French but never managed to beat the unbeatable man of the evening: Peter Michael who raced the 15K in 22’02”458.

Main results

Senior men

Pos.	Name	Country		Time
1	Peter Michael		NZL	22:02,458
2	Fabio Francolini		ITA	22:02,593
3	Alexis Contin		FRA	22:02,848
4	Chen Yancheng		TPE	22:04,079
5	Ewen Fernandez		FRA
6	Felix Rijhnen		GER
7	Paxti Peula Cabello		ESP
8	Guillermo Servian		ARG
9	Lorenzo Cassioli		ITA
10	Mauricio Garcia Sierra		DOM

Senior ladies

Pos.	Name	Country		Time
1	Francesca Lollobrigida		ITA	23:58,071
2	Guo Dan		CHN	23:59,031
3	Sindy Cortes		VEN	23:59,554
4	Maria Agudelo Jaramillo Luisa		COL	24:00,455
5	Paola Serrano Burgos Jenny		COL
6	Yang Hochen		TPE
7	Maria Arias		ARG
8	Justine Halbout		FRA
9	Huang Yuting		TPE
10	Hee Suh So		KOR

Junior men

Pos.	Name	Country		Time
1	Alfonso Cujavante Luna Alex		COL	22:24,950
2	Boris Pena		COL	22:26,454
3	Cheol Lee Sang		KOR	22:26,632
4	Alberto Putignano		ITA	22:26,814
5	Quentin Giraudeau		FRA
6	Tanner Worley		USA
7	Kwan Jeong Byeong		KOR
8	Stefan Due Schmidt		DEN
9	Manuel Vogl		AUT
10	Philipp Forstner		GER

Junior ladies

Pos.	Name	Country		Time
1	Johana Viveros Mondragon		COL	24:20,043
2	Fabriana Arias Perez		COL	24:20,049
3	Yu Ga Ram		KOR	24:20,068
4	Sandrine Tas		BEL	24:24,117
5	Giulia Lollobrigida		ITA
6	Deborah Marchand		FRA
7	Darian O’Neill		USA
8	Javiera San Martin		CHL
9	Arianna Pizza		ITA
10	Nerea Nuno Iglesia		ESP

Links

Photo gallery of the 15km elimination series (men)

Photo gallery of the 15km elimination finale (women)

By Alfathor
Photos: Kevin Lesueur