Andorran Íria Medina Takes 4th in South American Cup Giant Slalom

Andorran skier Íria Medina finished fourth in the opening giant slalom of the South American Cup at Chapelco, Argentina, recording a combined time of 2:37.71, which placed her 1.65 seconds behind winner Francesca Baruzzi of Argentina. Medina was just 0.17 seconds off third-place finisher Eliane Stoessel of Switzerland.

She achieved the third-fastest first run, 0.64 seconds from the lead, followed by the fourth-quickest second run, 1.01 seconds behind the pacesetter. The performance elevated Medina to second in the giant slalom standings with 150 points, trailing U.S. skier Kjersti Moritz's total of 180. Germany's Fabiana Dorigo sat third on 140 points.

Clàudia Garcia of Andorra did not finish her first run. In the men's race, Bartumeu Gabriel took 23rd place in 2:37.40, ahead of Maià Font in 24th at 2:37.64 following the 19th-fastest second run. Max Black-Roca ended 31st, Àlvar Calvo 32nd and Jan de Visa 43rd.

Medina then secured third place in the second giant slalom at the same venue, clocking 2:34.70 to finish 1.52 seconds behind Baruzzi, who claimed a repeat victory. Medina was third in the first run and fourth in the second, earning 31.16 FIS points, an improvement from her previous 32.18. Garcia delivered a strong recovery to place 10th, climbing seven spots with the third-best second-run time.

Gabriel led the Andorran men again in 16th at 2:33.95, 2.22 seconds off U.S. winner Nicholas Unkovskoy. He posted the 10th-fastest second run and improved to 37.86 FIS points from 61.31. Font finished 32nd, Calvo 34th, Black-Roca 38th and de Visa 43rd.

The result kept Medina second overall in the discipline on 210 points, 22 behind Baruzzi's 232. She would need a win in the next race, paired with the Argentine placing outside the top two, to take the title.

Next events feature South American Cup races on Thursday and Friday in Bariloche, along with a FIS giant slalom on Sunday.

In freeride news, Joan Aracil of the Andorran Ski Federation has begun pre-season competition at the Valle Arpa IFSA event in Chile. "I've been training hard at La Parva to reach a good freeride level," he said. After advancing to the Qualifier series last season, Aracil will next contest the Freeride Chile Championship at El Colorado on September 16. "I'm improving every day."