DEFAST AND CHICCO SIXTH IN LAHTI TEAM SPRINT

The Scandinavian Weekend for De Fabiani ends with a 38th place in the Individual Sprint and a 6th place in the Team Sprint (with Federico Pellegrino).

Lahti, Finland – Feb. 10th 2019 - The two-day in the North of Francesco De Fabiani ends with a 38th place in the individual sprint free on Saturday and a 6th place in the team sprint classic on Sunday, this one shared with Federico Pellegrino.

Perhaps we expected something more, even just because Lahti, for Francesco is also (and above all) the place where he has (until now) got his only individual victory in the World Cup, in 2015, in a 15 Km C.

The Saturday did not meet the expectations of the skier from Gressoney, a difficult day started not too well maybe due to some vicissitudes of the previous days; journey and delays have made the approach to the race quite problematic.

«Well, what can I say: certainly it was not such a simple weekend, we lost the plane two days before the Sprint and also on a psychological level this did not help us. In the morning the legs did not run right, they were hard and I was not absolutely performing, either for the problems of the trip, or for the heavy workload done in view of the World Championships in Seefeld that are now closer and closer».

In Team Sprint, Defast, paired with the Sprint world champion (and second, Saturday) Federico Pellegrino, controlled in the first fraction, to then raise the pace with the stints. The couple finished in sixth place according to the overwhelming power of Norway, first with Iversen and Klæbo and second with Skar and Brandsdal. Third position for Finland (Niskanen and Hakola).

«It was my first Team Sprint, a new thing for me. I had fun, it was a track that did not allow too much selection. Chicco and I tried and at the end we got a good 6th place, even if we hoped to do better. In any case I felt better than yesterday in terms of feelings and this makes me satisfied. Now we have to recover in view of the next important events».

Now the goal moves to the South, precisely to Cogne, where next weekend the World Cup will return, after 13 years, with a skating sprint and a 15 km (interval start) classic: «I'm looking forward to racing in Cogne, there will be lots of fans in the land that gave me the Italian title in the 15 km only seven days ago, I hope to be the one».

Meanwhile, the World Championship is getting closer and closer: «Immediately after Cogne the World Championships in Seefeld await us and my season is aimed precisely at the Austrian appointment».

_______________________________

Press Office of Francesco De Fabiani