DE FABIANI CHIUDE LA SUA MIGLIOR STAGIONE DI COPPA CON UN 4° POSTO IN CANADA
DeFast at the foot of the podium in the final stage of the Mini-Tour in Canada, the last round of the World Cup season, ended with an amazing 7th place in the overall ranking and achieving the goal of the Top 10.
Québec City, Canada – Mar. 25th, 2019 - The season of the cross-country skiing World Cup ended yesterday for Francesco De Fabiani with a 4th place in Québec.
The athlete of the Centro Sportivo Esercito of Courmayeur has once again impressed, closing the last round of the Mini Tour (the 15 km F Pursuit) at 1”.13 from the winner of the day (and of the general classification of the World Cup) Johannes H. Klaebo. On the other steps of the podium, the names of an amazing Alex Harvey (best time of the day, last performance of a fantastic career) and an unrestrainable Alexander Bolshunov.
DeFast, in great shape, has therefore finished the Mini Tour in the top 5, with two splendid races in the two 15 km classic and skating, crowning an absolutely extraordinary season: «I am absolutely satisfied, I did an excellent Mini Tour, the only regret of these three days is represented by the opening sprint: if I hadn't had the problem at the start, I could have had fewer seconds in the standings and so today I could have started with the group of Bolshunov and Harvey and, who knows, maybe I would have fought for the podium, but with the hemming and hawing you don't go anywhere».
For De Fabiani, the 2018/2019 World Cup classification is a game of numbers: 7th in the overall ranking, 6th in the special "distance" classification, 11th in the sprint standings: «I'm very satisfied, I've always tried, from the first to the last day, I also tried to overtake Iversen in the last stages, but he just got behind me and the margin was not enough to stay ahead of him. The 7th place is excellent, I was aiming for the Top 10. The 4th place in the Mini Tour, excellent by itself, could have been a podium, it’s a shame».
«The only regret of the season – adds Francesco – is the 50 Km of Oslo: I had put it among the goals of the season, but something went wrong, even in the choice of materials».
The World Championships in Seefeld also brought the first medal to the athlete from Gressoney: «It was a very important bronze, something that gives me self-confidence, a world medal is forever. An emotion that stays with you».
The seasonal balance can only be positive and DeFast is radiant: «Closing in the Top 10, the general and the distance classifications, is fantastic. The 11th place in the sprint, reached also thanks to the 2nd place took inCogne, gives me enormous satisfaction in a specialty that I have never considered so suited to my characteristics».
For Francesco the season is not over yet: «I still have the Italian Championships next week, but I must say that it will be a sort of formality: I will race with the colors of the C.S. Esercito, without too much pressure, to try to honor to the best the national contest, after which it will be time to pull the plug and go on holiday».
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Press Office of Francesco De Fabiani
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