Fanny Smith, ill, took 4th place in the final of the Arosa race, in the World Cup. In the men’s category, Ryan Regez fell in the small final to rank 8th.
Among the women, victory did not escape Sweden’s Sandra Näslund, who celebrated her 12th consecutive success in a year. His last “defeat” dated from Arosa last year. True to form, the Scandinavian got off to a flying start and was never seen again by her opponents. Among them, Smith. The Vaudoise, who had announced that she had been ill since Friday in Val Thorens with a fever and the impossibility of sleeping well for several days, found herself behind from the start. The repetition of the efforts got the better of the will of the Romande.
Smith had won his round of 16 and quarter-final series. In the semi-finals, she found herself with Näslund, who won ahead of the Vaudoise. In the final, she could not compete from the start. As in Val Thorens on Thursday, she took 4th place in a final which brought together the 4 finalists from the Beijing Games.
Regez helped by rescuers
In the men’s category, no Swiss qualified for the final. Olympic champion Regez fell in the small final and finished 8th. He got up with difficulty and had to be helped by the rescuers to leave the track. Regez had already missed his semi-final by placing 4th.
Victory went to Frenchman Terence Tchiknavorian, who took advantage of an eventful race to emerge in the last meters. He celebrated his second success in the World Cup.
res/it