Emily Harrop and Thibault Anselmet win Ski Mountaineering World Cup 2024 Sprint

Monday witnessed yet another thrilling day on the slopes in Cortina d’Ampezzo to crown the Sprint winners of the 2023/2024 ISMF World Cup season. A day that ended with another magnificent display of skills and strength from Emily Harrop to claim her fourth Sprint win this year, while Thibault Anselmet dominated the men’s race to also claim the crystal globe.

Men’s Race: Anselmet Claims Victory and Crystal Globe
The men’s race saw a masterful performance by Thibault Anselmet of France, who clinched both the race victory and the season’s crystal globe. Anselmet’s triumph in Cortina marked his second win of the season after previous successes in Val Thorens and Boi Taull World Cups. Anselmet navigated through the qualifiers with the third-best time and secured a spot in the semifinals. A strong showing in the semis propelled him into the final, where he took an early lead and never relinquished it, crossing the finish line in first place.

Following closely behind Anselmet was Arno Lietha of Switzerland, who secured the silver medal after a hard-fought battle. Lietha’s victory in his semifinal heat propelled him to the final, where he held off challenges from Loic Dubois of Switzerland and Inigo Martinez de Albornoz of Spain to secure his place on the podium. Florian Sautel of France claimed fifth place, while Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain finished last in the final, despite his overall second place in the season rankings. Arno Lietha secured third place in the season rankings.

"I am extremely happy with my performance today, and the way I finished the season. I was able to push a bit more at the end, I felt like I had the legs today, and I went for it. it is great to finish the season like this", said Anselmet.

Women’s Race: Harrop Continues Dominance
In the women’s race, Emily Harrop of France continued her season of dominance with another impressive victory. Harrop’s win in Cortina marked her fourth triumph of the season, adding to her previous successes in Val Martello and Boi Taull World Cups. With a formidable record of four world championship titles and 17 World Cup wins, Harrop’s performance this season has been nothing short of remarkable. Her victory in Cortina also secured her second crystal globe of the year, following her triumph in the Individual rankings.

However, the women’s race was not without its drama, as Caroline Ulrich of Switzerland, who initially crossed the finish line in second place, was penalized 15 seconds, relegating her to fifth place. The silver medal was awarded to Marianne Fatton of Switzerland, while Celia Perillat-Pessey of France claimed the bronze. Tatjana Paller of Germany finished fourth, with Marianna Jagercikova of Slovakia in sixth place.

"Sprint races are the most stressful for me, so this victory today is very emotional. I am extremely happy with how the day went, and with my season. It is a dream for me to finish the season at this level", said Harrop.

In the season Sprint rankings for women, Harrop was followed by Celia Perillat-Pessey and Marianne Fatton, cementing their positions as some of the sport’s top competitors.

The last competition of the season, the Mixed relay, takes place today at 08:40 and will be live streamed here: www.youtube.com