Chopok (Slovakia), 1 April 2023 – Two days of racing with one rest day in the heart of the Lowa Tatras in Slovakia are over. Sunday’s Individual race in the area of Chopok ended the ISMF Masters World Championships 2023.
The race track was a real ski mountaineering one. The first long uphill went through the top of the Chopok (2024m), followed by a hard downhill in the couloir. From then on, the race was technical, with poor visibility due to dense fog.
The first competitor to cross the finish line was the new Pre Master World Champion Matúš Danko (SVK), who did the race in 1 hour, 41 minutes and 42 seconds. The fastest woman of the day was Marianna Jagerčíková (SVK), who won the second gold medal of the event as well as Danko.
Corinna Ghirardi (ITA), Lionel Bouzon (FRA), Denisa Hančová (CZE), Thomas Koller (AUT), Row Frank (GER), Jacques Grillet-Aubert (FRA) and Anna Straková (CZE) also won both the Vertical and Individual race. The premier title of the event went to Rudolf Kapusta (SVK), who won the O60 Men category. Laurent Novero (FRA) finished second on Friday, but today, he was the fastest in the O40 Men category.
Home Slovakia was the most successful country in the championships, with 15 medals in total – 6x gold, 4x silver and 5x bronze. France won 10 medals, second most – won 5x gold, 3x silver and 2x bronze.
Slovakia hosted an international-level race for the first time in 19 years. Chopok area proved to be an exciting place for races not only for Masters but also for youth or elite circuits.
The last event on the ISMF calendar 2022/23 is the WÜRTH MODYF ISMF World Cup Finals in Tromso, Norway. From 11 to 15 April, there will be four races in northern Europe – Relay, Vertical, Individual and Sprint.
For the results, click HERE.
A photo gallery from the Individual race is available HERE.
