Para-cross-country skiing: Karl Tabouret and Benjamin Daviet on the track in Trondheim
This Tuesday, at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim (Norway), there will be more on the programme than just the individual 10km cross-country skiing classics. In the morning, from 10 a.m., the qualifications for the para cross-country skiing classic sprints will take place.
On the slopes of the Granåsen stadium, as part of the organisers’ commitment to inclusivity, seated, standing and visually impaired para-athletes will be performing. A first for winter sports at a major able-bodied championship.
Among the starters for France are Karl Tabouret from Savoie, who climbed to the top of the World Cup podium in this discipline last month, and Bornandin Benjamin Daviet, star of the discipline.
“In terms of visibility, it’s a good thing to be able to show para cross-country skiing at the same time as able-bodied skiing, both for the discipline and for the athletes. Above all, I think that the FIS and Norway have made progress. There will also be the start of a bonus, which is a step in the right direction. They are taking a step forward and I hope that this will open the way for the future with Para World Championships at the same time as the able-bodied,” the five-time Paralympic champion told Nordic Magazine. There’s a lot to be gained from this event.
“A KO sprint in two days is an aberration”.
Although he is not taking part in this event, which is organised in a classic style that he does not much appreciate, the visually impaired Anthony Chalençon is enthusiastic about this historic first. It’s great that the organisers want to include para-athletes in their event,” he says. It’s a first, so we’ll have to see how it goes, particularly in terms of organisation, but it’s good that it’s going in that direction!
Vincent Duchêne, the coach of the French team, while unsurprisingly appreciative of the novelty, regrets that this advance could have an impact on the fair play of the competition. It has to be said that this classic sprint will be played over two days: the qualifiers on Tuesday, the semi-finals and the final on Wednesday.
A sprint KO in two days is an aberration because, in para cross-country skiing, the qualification has a strong impact on the semi-finals and the final,” he explains. The time difference between the athletes is calculated in relation to this qualification time. If conditions change between the two days, it won’t be fair.
The French technician would have preferred to see this new event appear on the regular World Cup circuit before the World Championships. “ To be honest, I almost didn’t do it, but it’s still the Worlds and we have the budget to train for this kind of event,” he admits.
Be that as it may, the event was a great success, with 106 riders turning up at the starting gate.
The complete start list for the classic sprint qualifiers at the para-cross-country skiing world championships in Trondheim (Norway)
The full programme for the Para-Cross-Country World Championships in Trondheim 🇳🇴
Tuesday 4 March
- 10.00am: CT sprint qualifiers for sitting, standing and visually impaired men and women
Wednesday 5 March
- 8.45am: Men’s and women’s sitting, standing and visually impaired CT sprint semi-finals
- 12.20pm: Sitting, standing and visually impaired men’s and women’s CT sprint finals
The French selection for the para-cross-country skiing world championships in Trondheim 🇳🇴
- Benjamin Daviet – ARMÉE DE CHAMPIONS / Handisport Annecien Le Grand-Bornand 🇫🇷
- Karl Tabouret – Albertville Handisport 🇫🇷
- Organisers of the Trondheim 2025 World Championships add a classic para-cross-country sprint to their programme
- Para-cross-country skiing: the French selection for the world championships in Trondheim
