Cross-country skiing: “We’re the fourth-best team in the world”, boasts Davide Graz
On Wednesday, Italy believed right up until the end that it could win a medal in the sprint team at the World Championships in Trondheim (Norway). But they fell two tenths short of the podium alongside Norwegians Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo and Erik Valnes.
However, Davide Graz and Federico Pellegrino put in a top-class performance. The rider from Valle d’Aosta came into the final straight in third place, with everything he needed for a good sprint. Unfortunately, he then went slightly off course on the final bend, losing the speed he needed to counter the imperious comeback of Sweden’s Edvin Anger.
“It was a difficult and long race, but it comes down to a handful of seconds. It was nice to be part of the game, but it hurts me a lot not to have won the medal,” Federico Pellegrino said in a statement issued by his federation. He said he was sorry for his team-mate. He also had a word for Elia Barp “who couldn’t be here, but who will have a lot of fun in the future over these distances”.
It was a fair-play skier who left the stadium: “I’ve had stronger opponents than me, I have to accept that. Anger really showed how strong he is.
It was a great experience and an honour to compete with Pellegrino,” said Davide Graz. I gave it my all and that’s what mattered most to me. Losing the medal by two tenths isn’t very pleasing, but that’s the law of sport. We’re the fourth-best team in the world, and we should be proud of that.
