The representatives of Latvia have successfully started the first stage of this season in the World Roller Skating Cup, which took place for three days from 21 to 23 August at the Estonian Ski Center in Otepää. Two award-winning places were won by the leading junior skier from Madona Lauris Kaparkalējs, who won the junior competition on the last day in the 15km distance in the classic style with an interval start, but on the first day he was the third fastest in the classic sprint. Meanwhile, in the adult group, ours were on the second day, when in the 27km distance in freestyle with a mass start, the second place for men was won by Raimo Vīgants from Madona, but for women in the same distance, Madonna from Kitija Auziņa crossed the third finish line.
Due to changes in the original calendar, this year’s World Cup season in roller skiing started only in the second half of August with competitions in Estonia. Our northern neighbors have been hosting several stages of cross-country skiing in the winter since the late 1990s, but the World Cup of roller skiing was held with them for the first time. Thanks to the initiative and support of the Latvian Ski Federation, our leading skiers were also able to go to Otepää.
The best success was achieved by Lauris Kaparkalējs, winning two prizes in three starts. Although Niks Saulītis from Madona, who scored the 4th time, was the best of us in the sprint on the first day, the elimination rounds, starting from the quarter-finals, were more convincingly performed by the 8th time Kaparkalējs, who was the only one of us to reach the final four. In the final, Lauris overtook Finland, but gave way to two Estonians, including Anders, the son of Olympic champion Andrus Vērpal, thus winning the third place. It was Caparkalay’s first prize in the World Cup stages. Saulītis withdrew from the semifinals and won 6th place among 21 participants. On the second day, in the 27km distance with a mass start, our juniors had the opportunity to win another award, because Kaparkalējs, Saulītis and another Latvian championship medalist in the junior competition – Aleksandrs Artūrs Ļūļe from SS “Arkadija” – were in the group of seven athletes, but not in Finland out of three Estonians we failed to beat the finish line. The fastest of the Latvians in the finish line was Saulītis, who won the fifth place.
The first stage of this season in the world of roller skiing ended on a great note, as Daiņa Vuškāns student Kaparkalējs beat the other 20 competitors from Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Germany and his compatriots in the 15km classic with an interval start, celebrating his first victory in competitions of this scale and after Raimo Vīgants becoming our second skier, who managed to win the World Cup in roller skating for juniors. Saulītis, the second student of Vuškāns, was up to 17 seconds short of three, but Nick finished the Estonian stage with his best result – 4th place, while another Madonis from Uvis Akmentiņš showed 7th time.
In the adult group for men in all three starts in the competition of less than twenty participants Raimo Vīgants entered the top six. In the sprint, he was a little short of the final, taking the 6th place, but in the 15km classic he marked the 5th place, the winning Erik Misen from Norway lost almost two minutes, but the other Norwegian skier, who finished in the top three, was missing 1:17. The Madonna, who lived in Norway last season, started 27km freestyle with a mass start, showing his finishing skills and winning the second place. This year, Vīgants, who won 9th place in the U23 group at the World Championship this winter, was two tenths of a second ahead of Norwegians and conceded only 3 seconds to Estonian Raido Rankel, who has been in thirties and several times in forties three times in the World Cup.
Unlike Vīgants in the women’s competition, Kitty Auziņa did not manage to show stability. In the sprint classic, Kitty had to settle for the last 9th place, but in the 10km classic she started one competitor with the start of the interval. But Auziņa also had one exceptional day in a good way, when she showed a very good performance and won the prize, just like Raimo did it in the mass start distance. Kitty gave in to two Estonians and showed the third time (+36.7 s), giving our country the fourth prize in the first stage.
The best start for junior girls was Samanta Krampe from Riga, who won the Latvian championship at the beginning of August in her age group and was close to entering the top three in the sprint. In the qualification, the representative of SS “Arkadia” showed 3rd time in the competition of 15 participants, but in the final four she did not manage to overtake either two Estonians or a German. In the 10km classic, Samanta showed the 6th result, the winner giving up a minute and a half, but up to three missing less than half a minute.
Several other Latvian representatives also started in Estonia – Roberts Slotiņš, Edgars Bernāns, Artūrs Brants, Bruno Krampe, Ilvars Bisenieks, Silvestrs Švauksts, Gustavs Sināts, Emīls Zaķis, Katrīna Bērziņa, Marta Priede, but they mostly finished in the finishing places, except Roberts .place 27km in mass start for adults, Silvestra Švauksta 9th and 10th place in mass start and sprint in juniors, Bruno Krampe 13th place in juniors 15km classic.
Author: Ivars Bācis
