The first stage of the World Cup of the season was held in Norway, where Lauris Kaparkalējs from Madonia won the sprint for juniors. The second stage will take place in Otepe (Estonia) from August 19-21, followed by Madonna on the last weekend of August, and the PK season will conclude in Italy from September 9-11. At the Madona stage, athletes will compete in classic, team sprint, 200m and mass start distances in freestyle.
“If ten years ago, only a few people talked about roller skiing in Latvia, then in recent years this type of summer cross-country skiing has gained relatively wide popularity, both as a tool in the off-season training process and in itself. Roller skiing is an accessible sport, the infrastructure has also developed and, no less important, the development has also been accompanied by sporting achievements and the participation of Latvian athletes in world-class competitions. This year, not only the third stage of the World Cup will take place in Madona, but also the Junior World Championship, for which the national teams of Taipei and Kazakhstan have also shown interest. The popularity of the sport around the world is growing every year, and from the perspective of race fans, that means there will be more intrigue. In the conditions of increasing competition, we can be proud of the achievements of our athletes, who have also started this season very commendably,” says Gunārs Ikaunieks, manager of the “Smeceres sila” track, about the 2022 season.
Lauris Kaparkalējs, the winner of the World Cup stage in Norway for juniors and the gold medal winner of the European Youth Winter Olympic Festival in the sprint for juniors, says: “I am satisfied with the last PK stage. I also focused on the sprint distance, but the long mass start distance was also a new and interesting experience for me. Before the next stages in Otepe and Madona, it is planned to hold a selection camp in Priekulai, a couple of weeks in Madona and then go to Norway to participate in the international camp for juniors. Regarding the Latvian national team, I am pleased that a strong and competitive group of athletes has been assembled, after the first stage in Norway, ranking 4th in the Nations ranking. We must continue,” says the winner of last year’s junior PK overall from Madona.
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