Para cross-country skiing | Canmore: Karl Tabouret on the podium in the individual classic, Benjamin Daviet seventh, Alexis Sanchez just outside the top 10

Para cross-country skiing: first race and first podium for Karl Tabouret

On Thursday, the 2025/2026 Para-Cross-Country Skiing World Cup kicked off in Canmore (Canada) with an individual 10km classic. In the standing event, in a style he loves, Karl Tabouret from Beaufort took the podium, finishing second behind Germany’s Sebastian Marburger, who was untouchable.

Local rider Mark Arendz rounded off the podium ahead of Japan’s Taiki Kawayoke and Yoshihiro Nitta, American Jack Berry and Bornandin Benjamin Daviet, seventh in his first outing of the Paralympic winter.

The women’s race was dominated by the grande dame of the category: Norway’s Vilde Nilsen. She was joined on the podium by Canada’s Natalie Wilkie and Ukraine’s Liudmyla Liashenko . France’s Cléo Blanc, wearing her first World Cup bib, was fourteenth.

Alexis Sanchez 11th, just outside the top 10 in the sitting category

Earlier in the morning, Alexis Sanchez had put in a fine performance in the men’s race, finishing eleventh… less than a second outside the top 10. Up front, victory went to Italy’s Giuseppe Romele ahead of Canadians Collin Cameron and Derek Zaplotinsky.

In the women’s race, there was plenty of suspense between the favourites, with South Korea’s Yunji Kim winning in 29 min 50 sec 2, just ahead of the Americans Oksana Masters (+2 sec 6) and Kendall Gretsch (+6 sec 3).

Thirteenth place for Maxime Gayet in the visually impaired category

Finally, in the visually impaired category, Maxime Gayet (guided by Alexis Bernard) came thirteenth in the men’s race. Up front, victory went to Sweden’s Zebastian Modin (guided by Emil Talsi) ahead of Norway’s Thomas Oxaal (guided by Vegard Myklemyr) and Poland’s Piotr Gabrowski (guided by Jakub Twardowski).

On the women’s side, it was Germany’s Leonie Maria Walter (guided by Florian Winker) who came out on top, ahead of Canada’s Maddie Mullin (guided by Brooke Ailey).

Full results

Standing

Men

Ladies

Sitting

Men

Ladies

Visually impaired

Men

Ladies

• The complete 2025/2026 World Cup programme
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