Press release
Harrop and Anselmet give France the first gold on a World Cup Relay
The French duo made history by winning the World Cup’s premiere Mixed Relay.
Val Thorens, 27 November 2022 – The last day of the opening round of the WÜRTH MODYF ISMF World Cup 2022/23 in Val Thorens was all about the first Mixed Relay Finals. And it had all the emotion, the excitement and the thrilling competition we all ever dreamed of, with France taking home the victory.
Twelve teams from eight countries made it to the finals from Saturday’s qualification. France, Italy, Switzerland and Spain had two pairs each. The other four were Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria.
The reigning European Champions in this discipline, Emily Harrop and Thibault Anselmet, confirmed that they are the ones to beat when it comes to a Relay. The French duo won after a dominant performance by both of them, leading the race from beginning to end.
“In the second round, I was definitely feeling the hurt in my legs. So I tried to take as much advantage as I could. In the last leg, I was fully confident on what Thibault could do,” said Harrop, winner of both the sprint and relay races.
Thibault Anselmet said: “I had a nice gap, so I was able to save some energy for the second lap. Xavier put some pressure on me, but it’s a game. Relays are always interesting, I like this format. I am happy that my shape is good at the beginning of the season.”
Ana Alonso Rodriguez and Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain came second after an incredible comeback from Cardona, who was the fastest man in both rounds, and impressively fast and quick transitions on top of that.
The last spot on the podium went to the second French duo, Célia Perillat-Pessey and Xavier Gachet. On the final handover, Gachet was only nine seconds behind the leader, but in the last uphill, Gachet lost the second position to a flying Cardona Coll.
The day started in Val Thorens with the B-Final. Eleven teams from six countries lined up on the start hour before the Final A, with Laura Deplanche and Robin Galindo, also from France, claiming the first place. Switzerland and France 3 followed them on the finish line.
“The B-Final was a good opportunity for the younger athletes to try the relay. Also, in our team, we had some who did the relay for the very first time. In general, we are happy with the opening stage of the ISMF World Cup. Right at the start of winter, we are full of optimism,” added Thierry Galindo, coach of the French Team.
Official results are HERE.
For the photo gallery, click HERE.
