San Candido – The 16th edition of the FIS Ski Cross World Cup 3 Zinnen Dolomites got underway on Friday. On the challenging course at Haunold, the athletes competed in two qualifying rounds for the coveted starting places in the grand finals on Saturday and Sunday.. The conditions provided the perfect stage for a thrilling battle between the world's elite.
Reece Howden is the man of the moment
In the men's event on Friday, there was no getting past Reece Howden. The Canadian impressively underlined his ambitions by securing the fastest time in both qualifying races.. In the first run, he raced to the finish line in 1:13.43 minutes, relegating Switzerland's Alex Fiva and Germany's Florian Wilmsmann to second and third place.. Howden continued his strong performance in the afternoon, securing first place once again, this time ahead of Wilmsmann and Fiva..
The day was particularly enjoyable for Dominik Zuech from Lan. He was by far the best Italian in the first run, finishing fourth, and also qualified comfortably for the finals in twelfth place in the second qualifying round.. In addition to Zuech, Davide Cazzaniga, Simone Deromedis, and Federico Tomasoni also made it to both finals, while Edoardo Zorzi will at least be there on Sunday..
French and Swedish excellence in women's events
In the women's competition, two big names shared the qualifying successes. In the first run, Swedish World Cup overall leader Sandra Näslund dominated the competition and set a clear mark with a time of 1:17.53, ahead of Daniela Maier from Germany and Fanny Smith from Switzerland..
In the second qualifying run for Sunday's race, the tide turned slightly: Frenchwoman Marielle Berger Sabbatel triumphed with a time of 1:17.65 minutes.. Daniela Maier once again finished in second place, followed by Smith and Näslund.. Italy's Jole Galli from Livigno also qualified for both final days with solid runs (16th and 9th place).. Fans can now look forward to the decisions, which are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon each day..
