Oriol Olm reaches quarterfinals at Solitude World Cup sprint

Andorran ski mountaineer Oriol Olm opened his World Cup season in the sprint at Solitude, USA, held at 2,500 metres. He posted a time of 2:51.2 in qualifying, 11th overall and 7.5 seconds behind Swiss Arno Lietha, which earned him a place in the quarterfinals.

Olm lined up in the first quarterfinal heat with Lietha, the Bussard brothers, Spain’s Ràdua and American Whitehead. He kept a controlled pace in the opening metres, but a crash by Whitehead in front of him fractured the group and left Olm a few metres adrift of the three leaders. Despite a strong push to close the gap, he was unable to reach the positions that advanced to the semifinals.

After the race Olm said he was pleased with his qualifying run and felt competitive: “I did a very good quali and I felt competitive.” He noted how fine the margins are at this level — “in this level, you lose many positions in a second” — but expressed confidence in his preparation, adding that the team’s training is working.

Olm welcomed the positive signs from his season opener and expects to build on them: it was the first race of the circuit, and he believes the coming events will bring better results.