Imanol Rojo, during the 15 kilometer test in Beijing 2022. /
The man from Tolosa has remained close to the top-20, but after kilometer 10 his strength failed him and he has fallen to 39th position
Imanol Rojo has completed a discreet performance in Beijing 2022 in the 15 kilometers classic style of the Winter Olympics. The skier from Toulouse has finished in 39th position after a test in which he has clearly gone from more to less. The Finn Iivo Niskanen has finally won the gold, while the Russian Alexander Bolshunov has hung the silver medal. Norway, one of the great powers of cross-country skiing, has only touched metal with the bronze of Johannes Klaebo.
Imanol Rojo has maintained a very constant pace from the start and has remained close to the top-20 until shortly after the halfway point of the race. In fact, his intermediate records have shown great regularity up to kilometer 7.5: at km. 3 lost 36.8 seconds; 1:13.5 at kilometer 6.3 and up to 1:22.7 midway through the race.
However, the pace of the rider from Tolosa lost intensity in the second half of the route and his partial times have worsened notably. This has caused him to lose positions in the general classification of this 15-kilometre classic-style cross-country skiing event. In the end, the Gipuzkoan finished in 39th position in his worst race, with a final time of 1:13.5, 3:29.4 off the lead.
This result joins the good performance that he carried out in his debut at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, where he obtained a great 21st place in the Skiathlon modality. Of course, he still has a third chance to shine in Beijing 2022, since next Saturday, February 19, he will compete in the 50 km test, which a priori is his strongest test and in which to date best results has signed in the Olympic Games.
