Second Engadin win for Albrecht
Switzerland's Brigitte Albrecht has won her second Engadin ski marathon, finishing the gruelling 42-kilometre race in just under an hour and a half.
The 31-year-old cross-country skier from Lax added the 2001 title to her earlier triumph in 1999, completing this year’s course more than a minute ahead of second-placed Russian Irina Skladnerva. Zurich’s Cornelia Porrini took third place.
Sunday’s victory in Switzerland’s most prestigious cross-country skiing event brought Albrecht some consolation after she was forced to pull out of last month’s Nordic skiing world championships in Lahti.
In the men’s race Germany’s Peter Schlickenrieder bounced back from his own recent disappointments in Lahti, where he managed only sixth place in the sprint championships. A strong spurt in the last five kilometres of the Engadin course saw the German edge ahead of Italy’s Maurizio Pozzi to win by just a second.
Patrick Mächler was the fastest Swiss man, crossing the line in sixth place just over three seconds behind Schlickenrieder.
As well as attracting some of the world’s top cross-country skiers, the Engadin marathon annually attracts masses of pilgrims from the world of amateur sport. More than 12,000 skiers applied to take part in this year’s event.
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