DAN GUO, CHN (WIC Single athlete) AND FELIX RIJHNEN, GER (POWERSLIDE RACING TEAM) WIN THE LAST WORLD INLINE CUP MARATHON BEFORE THE FINAL IN BERLIN
Harbin, China 29th July 2023. Since 2019, the WORLD INLINE CUP could not take place due to the COVID pandemic in China. But now the time has come again and the WIC is back in Harbin.An Inline weekend with Chinese Open Championships, children's races, half marathons on Sunday and the WORLD INLINE CUP TopClass Marathon on Saturday with International and Chinese athletes proved that the WIC has arrived in China again. Surrounded by an extensive cultural programme with thousands of Chinese skaters, Harbin was in inline skating mode.
International skaters from ten nations took part in the marathon. Teams such as the BONT Europe Team, Powerslide Racing Team, EOSkates World Team, Rollerblade World Team, Double ff Team and other single athletes were on the start line together with Chinese skaters. The 6-kilometre circuit along the Songhua River was a sporting challenge for the athletes. Strong headwinds made the 7 laps increasingly difficult for the skaters.
The Powerslide World Team around Bart Swings, currently leading the WIC ranking, as well as the German Felix Rijhnen and the Belgian Jason Suttels broke away from the field early on. Hugo Gerard from France rode in the lead group but dropped back after a few laps and fought with Nolan Beddiaf, FRA (EOSkates World Team), Patxi Peula and Carlos Tarazona (Rollerblade World Team) for fourth place.
In the end, the Blue Train rode impressively to the finish with Felix Rijhnen crossing the line first ahead of Bart Swings and Jason Suttels.
In the women's race it remained very exciting for a long time. The field stayed together for a large part of the race. A few laps before the end there was a breakaway by the Chinese Dan Guo. Marine Balanant (BONT Europe Team) tried to catch up with the leader but could not close the gap. In the chasing team, Lianne van Loon and Fleur Veen, both NDL (Double ff Team), Julia Nizan, FRA (BONT Europe Team), the current WIC overall leader Aura Quintana, COL, Anna Petutschnigg, AUT and the Chinese Ma Zi Qing raced for third place. The bronze medal went finally to the Chinese skater Ma Zi Qing.
Results:
Women
1. Dan Guo (CHN) WIC Single Athlete
2. Marine Balanant (FRA) BONT Europe Team
3. Ma Zi Qing (CHN) WIC Single Athlete
Men
1. Felix Rijhnen (GER) Powerslide Racing Team
2. Bart Swings (BEL) Powerslide Racing Team
2. Jason Suttels (BEL) Powerslide Racing Team
The official award ceremony took place in the evening at a big inline party with a great supporting programme. The next race will be the final at the BMW Berlin Marathon on 23 September 2023.
The updated WIC overall ranking will be online asap on https://www.world-inline-cup.com/ranking/2023
On 29 October, an WIC Associated Race will take place in Sarasota / USA outside the overall ranking.
For further information, please see www.world-inline-cup.com and/or contact:
Volker Schlichting
IGUANA Deutschland GmbH
Tel. +49 30 83 21 794 55
