MADRID, 18 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish skier Imanol Rojo will face this Saturday his third and last test in the Winter Olympic Games that are being held in Beijing until Sunday in search of signing a good result in the hard 50 kilometers of cross-country skiing.
The man from Tolosa hopes to put in a good performance in his farewell to his third Olympic event after being twenty-first in the Skiathlon 15 km classic + 15 km skater, and thirty-ninth in the 15 km classic style, both results the two best of a Spaniard in about Games. Now, he will try to overtake Juan Jesús Gutiérrez, who was nineteenth in the 50 kms at Albertville 1992 and Lillehammer 1994.
The competition will be held on a very demanding circuit of 8.3 km that its participants will travel six times and whose main characteristic is the altitude of 1,800 meters, higher than that usually found in the World Cup.
In addition, as indicated by the Royal Spanish Federation of Winter Sports (RFEDI), the snow conditions will be slow and temperatures are expected to be below -10ºC, with low humidity, and the presence of an always annoying wind that will harden plus conditions.
“I feel good and the sensations are good. It has snowed these days, but the ski and the materials do not change, but they do give more wind and that is what must be taken into account,” said Rojo in statements provided by the COE .
The Gipuzkoan believes that “the key” will be that he manages to be well embedded within the group. “With the wind, if you lose it, the race can go to waste. My mirror would be what I did in the World Championship, be among the top 15 and see what strength I have at the end”, he commented.
The Spanish skier expects a “quiet race until kilometer 30”. “But then they will begin to push to make the natural selection and we will have to be attentive, I have to see my career and my feelings,” he warned.
“The snow is very slow and the wind will slow down the track a little more, but it’s the same for everyone. We go out in a group and that can even benefit me because people won’t want to shoot. It will go in a group and I’ll be able to fight with the people in front”, said Rojo, who has “prepared well for this event over the last four years”. “I want to improve my position in skiathlon. The goal is to do well and climb positions”, he pointed out.