Latvian, Lithuanian and Italian Skiers Claim Victories at Baltic Cup in druskininkos
Druskininkos, Lithuania – The second day of competition in the first stage of the Baltic Cup alpine skiing took place today at the “Snow arena” indoor ski hall in Druskininkos, Lithuania. Athletes from Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Greece, Poland, Spain, Hungary, and the Baltic states – primarily Latvia – competed in FIS ENL slalom events, each consisting of three runs.
In the men’s first competition, Latvia’s Pēteris Pauls Prančāns and Finland’s Tāvi Markanens battled for the top spot. Markanens led after the first run, but Prančāns overtook him with a faster second run, holding a mere 0.08-second advantage. Prančāns, 18, then secured his first Baltic Cup victory of the season with a decisive third run, extending his lead to half a second. Prančāns previously achieved success at the European Youth Olympic Festival, finishing 28th in slalom, and had won multiple FIS competitions three weeks prior. Markanens finished second, while gustavs Ábele completed the podium in third.
The second men’s race saw Prančāns, Nils Neo Trapnāns, and Markinen vying for the lead. Trapnāns unfortunately did not finish after a strong start, allowing Prančāns to maintain his lead over finland. The result mirrored the first competition, with Prančāns taking first and Markinen second. Kazakhstan’s Rostislav Khohlov, a competitor at the World Junior Championship (40th in slalom), secured third place.
For the women, the day began with a close contest between Lithuania’s liepa Karlonaites and Latvia’s Kristiana Hartmanes, both winners from the previous day.They posted identical times in the first run, but Karlonaites gained a third-of-a-second lead in the second. Despite Hartmane’s fastest time in the third run,she couldn’t overcome the deficit,with 19-year-old Karlonaites winning and 17-year-old Hartmane settling for second. Elza Zelča, 16, demonstrated consistency, finishing third in all three runs.
The second women’s race saw a shift in results. Karlonaites was disqualified in the first run, and Zelča did not start, opening the door for new contenders. Hartmane initially led after the first run, building a lead of over three seconds after the second. Though, a fall near the finish line in the third run dashed her hopes. The victory ultimately went to Italy’s Cavagino, just 0.05 seconds ahead of a tie for second place between Ester Janson and Italy’s Rebecca Bezzini.
The events were organized by the Latvian Skiing Federation in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science,which provided crucial support.
