Andorran Skiers Shine with Top-40 Tour de Ski Finishes and Historic Slalom Results

Andorran cross-country skiers Gina del Rio and Irineu Esteve secured top-40 results in Tuesday's 10km classic individual stage of the Tour de Ski in Toblach-Dobbiaco, Italy, finishing 37th and 39th.

Del Rio clocked 27:24.0, 1:50.3 behind winner Astrid Oeyre Slind of Norway. She stayed between 32nd and 38th on the tough course, ending 16 seconds off 30th—held by Germany's Sofia Krehl—in just her second World Cup 10km classic. Del Rio described a grueling race where she struggled with subpar sensations but saw value in her consistency against seasoned competitors. Technical director Xabier del Val called it a positive day despite the standings, while staff praised her effort.

Esteve timed 23:38.1, 1:27.1 back from Norway's Mattis Stenshagen. Starting from 87th at the first checkpoint, he climbed steadily to finish 12 seconds shy of the top 30. He noted perfect skis during a season plagued by physical issues and inconsistency, adding that the team expected gradual improvement. Del Rio sits 40th overall, Esteve 50th.

Both skipped Sunday's freestyle sprint finals. Del Rio was 31st in 2:55.64, 0.22 seconds behind France's Margot Tirloy for 30th, leaving mixed feelings amid fatigue—sprints remain a weak point after solid Davos showings. Esteve placed 116th of 121 in 2:48.98, 16.47 seconds off Spain's Jaume Pueyo in 30th and 21.83 behind Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo; classics suit him better.

The Tour rests Wednesday before a 5km freestyle individual in Dobbiaco on Thursday, followed by a 20km classic pursuit Friday, then Val di Fiemme for the January 3 classic sprint and January 4 10km mass-start climb to Alpe Cermis.

In alpine skiing, Carla Mijares delivered Andorra's best women's World Cup slalom in 27 years, taking 18th at the Semmering night race in Austria—topping Vicky Grau's 19th from Park City in 1998. The 23-year-old earned 13 World Cup points, 6.47 seconds off Mikaela Shiffrin, with 24th in the first run (amid 39 DNFs) and 17th in the second on worsening snow despite mistakes. She spoke of full commitment while handling nerves in her first World Cup second run, building on a 45th in Levi. Coach Josh Alayrach lauded her resilience in wet conditions.

At the Copa Creand FIS opener in Soldeu’s Estadi Creand Eslàlom, Xavier Cornella won men's slalom in 1:41.30 ahead of Bartumeu Gabriel (+0.28) and Àlex Rius (+0.62), dropping to 23.00 FIS points after leading the first run. Íria Medina claimed women's gold in 1:50.21 over Etna Pou (+1.32) and Spain's Noa Dones, hitting 33.08 points via a strong second-run recovery on the watered, technical piste. Coach Ibon Mintegui highlighted her aggressive approach.

On Wednesday's second slalom, Mijares took women's honours in 1:41.43 ahead of Spain's June Garitano and Nur Torres, earning 23 FIS points without improving her prior score; Medina, Pou and others failed to finish the first run. Gabriel won men's in 1:37.15, edging Cornella by 0.29 seconds for third straight national podium sweep, with 23 FIS points and slight improvement. The venue's upgrades—a 556m T-bar lift with 230m drop, 11 low-pressure snow guns—support elite training, backed by Federació Andorrana d'Esquí and Creand Crèdit Andorrà. The circuit pauses until January 23 descents.