Current Middle Distance world champion, Norwegian Jørgen Baklid, and Mariya Kechkina, Russia are the new ESOC Long Distance champions at the end of a gruelling race with men’s winning times of more than 2 hours, held on a windy and cloudy but dry day at the Kartola Ski Centre in Bulgaria.
Kechkina was Long champion also in 2016 and 2018, took the silver medal in 2019 and the bronze in 2017, and today’s win followed her success at Middle Distance 2 days ago. Here it was a tight finish just 5 seconds ahead of her compatriot Olesia Riazanova, with a third Russian, Alena Trapeznikova taking bronze 1½ minutes down on the winner. Lisa Larsen, Sweden was ahead of Trapeznikova at the end of the second loop in the mass-start three-loop race, but ended in fourth place.
Russia’s Vladislav Kiselev was striving to add a fourth gold medal to his collection this week, and he was leading at the end of the second loop. At this point Baklid was in second place, 23 seconds behind Kiselev, but in the end it was home skier Stanimir Belomazhev who was Baklid’s closest challenger, finishing 15 seconds behind. Veteran Russian Andrei Lamov took the bronze, a further 16 seconds down, and Kiselev finished fourth having lost more than 2½ minutes on the final loop.
U23 WSOC champions: Riazanova and Baklid
Today’s race counts also as the second race in the season’s U23 World SkiO Championships. The new U23 world champions are Olesia Riazanova and Jørgen Baklid; both won U23 silver medals in the Sprint. In today’s race all three men’s medals went to Norway, Isak Jonsson and Henrik Frederiksen Aas taking silver and bronze respectively. Silver medalist in the women’s U23 list is Marina Viatkina, Russia who won the Sprint, and bronze goes to Elin Schagerstrom, Sweden.
The final race is tomorrow, the 3-person Relay for men and women, which starts at 11.00 local time.
Leading results, ESOC Long Distance
Women
- Mariya Kechkina RUS 106:38
- Olesia Riazanova RUS 106:43
- Alena Trapeznikova RUS 108:08
- Lisa Larsen SWE 108:27
- Daisy Kudre EST 110.43
- Kseniia Terekhova RUS 112.48
Men
- Jørgen Baklid NOR 125:27
- Stanimir Belomazhev BUL 125:42
- Andrei Lamov RUS 125:58
- Vladislav Kiselev RUS 127:39
- Audun Heimdal NOR 129:00
- Misa Tuomala FIN 130:23
U23 World SkiO Championships, Long race
Women
- Olesia Riazanova RUS 106:43
- Marina Viatkina RUS 116:14
- Elin Schagerstrom SWE 121:24
- Alexandra Rusakova RUS 122:40
- Eliane Deininger SUI 123:59
- Maria Hoskari FIN 125:27
Men
- Jørgen Baklid NOR 125:27
- Isak Jonsson NOR 131:56
- Henrik Frederiksen Aas NOR 132:16
- Aapo Viippola FIN 135:21
- Igor Linkevitch RUS 135:35
- Niklas Ekstrom FIN 136:39