Just one Crystal Globe was left to be decided on the final day of the FIS Para Cross-Country World Cup, at Szklarska Poręba-Jakuszyce (POL) on Sunday February 1.
It was in the women’s Vision Impaired (VI) category with Linn Kazmaier (GER; guide Florian Baumann) holding a lead of 18 points over fellow teenager Simona Bubenickova (CZE; guide David Srutek). With just four starters in the 10km Mass Start Classic, second place for Kazmaier would see her collect third overall title in four years, even if 17-year-old Bubenickova won.
Sure enough, the Czech claimed a sixth victory from six starts this season, but her missing the Mass Start in Finsterau (GER) last month meant Kazmaier, over five minutes down in second and without a win during the campaign, did enough in her seven starts to win the series by just three points. Neither woman raced in the season-opening stop in Canmore (CAN) where Leonie Walter (GER) won all three races, but she missed Jakuszyce and was overhauled ahead of Sunday’s season finale.
Two minutes further back was Aneta Korbyn (POL; guide Bartlomiej Puto) who was third for the second day running, her first two career World Cup podium finishes. Bubenickova had been dominant in Saturday’s 10km Interval Start Classic, beating Kazmaier by more than six minutes with Korbyn nearly a minute behind the German.
Zebastian Modin (SWE; guide Emil Talsi) clinched his seventh men’s VI title on Saturday despite only finishing fifth in the Interval Start. Jake Adicoff (USA; guide Peter Wolter) cruised to victory by over a minute and a half clear from Dmytro Suiarko (UKR; guide Oleksandr Nikonovych). Finland’s Inkki Inola and guide Reetu Inkila were 20 seconds further back in third.
With the Crystal Globe already in the bag, Modin skipped Sunday’s Mass Start where Adicoff made it four wins from five starts in the season. The American took victory by a minute and 24 seconds from Inola with Thomas Oxaal (NOR; guide Geir Lervik) a minute and a half further back in third.