MADRID, 6 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish skiers Adur Etxezarreta and Núria Pau face this Monday their debut at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics in the downhill and giant alpine skiing events, respectively, while Thibault Magnin and Javi Lliso begin their journey in the ‘ big air’ freestyle skiing.
Etxezarreta was called to be the first snow athlete to open the Spanish participation in the Chinese event, but could not compete on Sunday due to the postponement of the alpine ski descent test due to intense gusts of wind at the National Alpine Ski Center of Yanqing.
Up to three times the start of the test was delayed, but finally it was relocated on the calendar and will be held this Monday at 5:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time.
The Navarrese will face a track with very steep parts, long curves, fast turns and high-speed areas. It is also a new track for everyone, since no World Cup event has ever been held there. Etxezarreta set the second fastest time on his first descent and the seventh fastest on the second day of official training.
The relocation of the men’s downhill has forced the advancement of the women’s giant slalom, where Núria Pau competes. Thus, the first leg will be brought forward 45 minutes and will start at 2:30 p.m. peninsular time, while the second leg will be held at 7:30.
The 27-year-old Catalan skier faces her first Olympic Games with a ‘Top 20’ in the European Cup in Orcieres-Merlette (France) in mid-January as the best result of the season.
For their part, Thibault Magnin and Javi Lliso face the classification of the freestyle skiing ‘big air’ modality starting at 6:30 a.m. Spanish peninsular time, the first of the modalities in which they compete -on the 14th they will do it in ‘slopestyle ‘-.
Magnin, 21, returned to competition in January after a knee injury and has already made two ‘Top 10’ finishes in the Slopestyle World Cup, with seventh place in Font Romeu. He has participated in the 2019 Park City and 2021 Aspen World Championships, and in the latter he was ninth in the ‘big air’.
Meanwhile, Lliso, 24, achieved a ‘Top 15’ in the World Cup this winter in the ‘big air’ of Steamboat. He has also participated in three World Championships in Sierra Nevada 2017, Park City 2019 and Aspen 2021, with a twenty-second place finish in the last two. His best result is fourth place at the Slopestyle World Cup in Seiseralm in January 2020.