Cross-country skiing : a fine day for Ivan Essonnier in Austria
The first day of competition at the FESA Cross-Country Skiing Cup in St. Ulrich am Pillersee (Austria) drew to a close on Friday afternoon with the men’s classic sprints in the U20 and senior categories. In the latter category, a Frenchman excelled himself.
Already in a strong position after qualifying, Ivan Essonnier confirmed that he has what it takes to play a leading role. After brilliantly progressing from the quarter-finals to the semi-finals, the Savoyard rounded off his day with third place in a competition won by Italy’s Simone Mocellini.
Behind him, another Blue managed to play hardball in this final. However, Victor Cullet Calderini still came up just short of finishing in the day’s top 3. The cross-country skier from Les Menuires (Savoie) finished sixth.
In the rest of the French clan, Julien Arnaud, Mathieu Blanc and Victor Lovera followed in tenth, eleventh and twelfth place. Milhan Laissus, Charly Rousset and Mattéo Correia finished twenty-second, twenty-third and twenty-fourth respectively. Gaspard Rousset and Sabin Coupat settled for twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth place respectively.
Quentin Viguier reaches the U20 final
In the Under-20 category, Isai Naeff was unflappable after winning the qualifying round. The Swiss dominated a final featuring a young French rider. Quentin Viguier, sixth in the final round, put in a solid performance throughout the day.
In the French rankings, Le Cluse is joined by Gaspard Cottaz, thirteenth, and Johan Calandry, thirtieth, after dropping out at the quarter-final stage.
The full rankings
Read also
- St. Ulrich am Pillersee: Ivan Essonnier excellent third in the classic sprint qualifier, three Frenchmen advance to the U20 category
- St. Ulrich am Pillersee: top 6 for Clémence Didierlaurent and Liv Coupat in the FESA Cup classic sprint, Margot Tirloy fifth in the U20 category
- FESA Cup in St. Ulrich am Pillersee: Margot Tirloy dominates the U20 classic sprint qualifier, Liv Coupat and Léonie Besson in the top 3 in the senior category
- The French squad for the FESA Cup in St. Ulrich am Pillersee
