ROLLERSKI: DI GREGORIO WINS THE SILVER MEDAL

In the pursuit race, Alfio Di Gregorio conquers the silver medal behind the cross-coutry skier Vincent Vittoz, and the second place makes him win the RollerskiWorld Cup . Among the juniors athlete bronze to Simone Paredi. Tomorrow Italy aims to the gold in the relay race.

Press release 16/2002 August 31^th 2002

Started 42" far away from the transalpine Vincent Vittoz – that has won the individual race in classic technique last Thursday, Alfio Di Gregorio has attached since the beginning , so much that at the fifth one of the ten turns in the heart of Breuil - Cervinia the advantage of the French had gone down to 15" and everything let us wait for an excellent final performance by our great rollerskier. But in the second part of the competition the Sicilian, has had some problems to his legs while Vittoz left the Slovak Bajcjcak far away. The Slovak has won the prologue. Di Gregorio has strongly fought but there was nothing to do against the infernal rhythm imposed by the captain of the French team . At the finish line Di Gregorio has arrived with a separation of 25" and the happiness is incredible even and the satisfaction to have regained the second World Cup 2002 (after 2002), despite the federal choice not to participate to first two competitions in Germany. Disappointment on the face of Mirco Collavo at the tenth place at the starting line: he has had to surrender the bronze for a tenth only to the Swedish Mikael Ostberg. Eleventh the holder of World Cup Alberto Pertile.

Simone Paredi has conquered a bronze medal losing him sprint with the Danish Thomas Hebsgaard	Mirco Collavo at the tenth place at the starting line: he has had to surrender the bronze for a tenth only to the Swedish Mikael Ostberg

Noteworthy another medal for our blue team: Simone Paredi, twenty-year old from Como, has conquered a bronze medal losing him sprint with the Danish Thomas Hebsgaard, in the competition won by the Swede Bjorn Andersson that has repeated the success of last Thursday. Important the eighth and the tenth place conquered by Oscar Romanin and Eugenio Bianchi.

Among the women (map made up of  7 laps 2,9 km long like for junior athletes) wins the Frenchwoman Karine Philippot with 1'23" of advantage ,followed by the German Isabel Klaus and the teammate Anniek Vaxelaire Pierrel. Nothing to do about our girls , the best one, Viviana Druidi, at the 13th place. In the category junior female gold and silver medal to Ivana Janeckova and Katerina Smunta, from Czech Republic. Third the Ukranian Maryna Malets. Therefore double world gold medal to France even thanks to the Italian CT Roberto Gal that has wanted to anticipate the competitive climate to his own athletes enrolled in the cross-coutry World Cup .The same choice regarding the Slovak Batory and Bajiacicak and which has penalized pure rollerskier.
Tomorrow morning fifth race and closing day with the relay race in the splendid Rapy track in Verrayes.
We are expecting for an Italian team’ gold medal, in order to confirm the leadership of our country in world rollerski.

RESULTS: Pursuit Track 2,9 km (Free Technique)

• Race results

• Movie individual races   (60,964 KB)

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