XVI Terras do Infante – 2nd Stage European Cup 2019  

Diogo Marreiros, POR and  Aura Quintana, COL 

were the winners!

Marreiros & Quintana Double gold’s in the European Cup:
Short and Long Distances

The sixteenth edition of Terras Do Infante Int. Speed skating Tournament – Lagos dos Descobrimentos, took place between the 5th & 7th April with a victory for Portuguese skater Diogo Marreiros from Roller Lagos C.P. – Bont Team and Columbian skater

 

, Aura Quintana from the Vitoria-Gasteiz International Team.

 

With over a five hundred skaters participating, and with very unfavourable weather conditions during the weekend, the high quality of the skaters still shone through, providing everyone with spectacular performances.

For the men, ex-world champion Patxi Peula, Spain, Vitoria-Gasteiz International Team, won the first race of 500m Day 1 – AKI. The Spaniard arrived from a resounding victory, with almost total domination, at the International Tournament in Gijon, 1st stage of the European Cup and was looking to repeat the success,

but Vice World Champion Diogo Marreiros, POR, competing on home soil, representing his club Roller Lagos C.P. and BONT TEAM, won the second race of the programme, held on Day 2 – Rubis Gas a day full of racing and switching places with the Spaniard to win the last two races of the Tournament 1Km & 5Km, the Lacobrigense completely dominated, with sprints that animated and thrilled the audience, taking 1st place 4 points ahead of Patxi and 12 for the World Relay Champion Elton de Souza, FRA. 

The Vice World Champion and 3 times European Vice Champion, Diogo Marreiros, winning his third consecutive International Tournament. The first was in August 2018, at the Flanders Grand Prix in Belgium, October 2018 at Biosfera – Madeira and now at the 16º Terras do Infante, a brilliant way to start the season.

 

 

For the ladies it was a fight for victory of the 750€ prize money between French skater Clemence Halbout, of Bont Skates and Columbian Quintana. The Colombian won first position, having won the both 1km and 5Km, winning only by two points difference.

In this edition there were skaters from 16 countries and almost one hundred clubs. With an very high level of skating especially in the Juniors masculine’s , with two World Champions present, Jason Suttels – BEL (10Km P/E) and Sabien Tinson – USA (100m). The victory in the general Rankings of the tournament went to Jason Suttels (the American Sabien only skated in the short distances, his speciality). The upcoming skaters Nill Llop, of Federació Catalan de Patinatge, ESP and Tomas Bohumsky, KSBM Praha, Chec Republic, took second and third place. 4th place was Portuguese skater Marco Lira from C.D.R. Prayers – Madeira who is a juvenil/youth skater but is competing at this year’s European Cup stages in Junior category

Junior Feminine title was taken by Spanish skater Sara Cabrera, of CDT In- Gravity, joined on the podium by fellow Spanish skater Ainoa Peris, of Federació Catalan de Patinatge e Polish skater Kaja Gajewska, BONT UKS Orlica.

Youth/juvenis categories were won by Teo Majdfar, FRA, who won three out of the four races and Claudia Cortes, SPAIN, Almassora CP, for the ladies after a fall in the last race from the leader, Valentina Mendonza from CDT In- gravity, Spain, causing her to be relegated to 6th place in the overall rankings.

Cadets feminine was won by, Jéssica Rodrigues, POR, of C.D.R. Prazeres and the cadets masculine by Quentin Poujol, FRA, Pibrac Roller Skating who crossed the finish line first with great superiority, seeming to be from another championship, a very bright rising star in the making for the skating world to look out for.

Europa Cup – 2nd STAGE- TERRAS DO INFANTE – LAGOS/2019

Specific classifications for the European Cup. Senior men, Diogo Marreiros won both gold medals for – Speed and Long Distances, something unheard of in these events. In speed Patxi Peula came 2nd and Elton de Souza 3rd. For the distance races, Patxi took 2nd again with Mexican Mike Paez coming 3rd.

Senior Ladies Aura Quintana copied Marreiros, claiming gold in both categories. In speed 2nd place was Clemence Halbout and 3rd for Nymphe Keuleers, BEL, of Reko Rollerclub Zandvoorde. For the distance races silver was taken by Francesca Halbout and bronze went to Marie Dupuy, FRA, EOSKATES World Team.

Kromoser & Quintana won the Marathons

For the last day, Sunday, FNAC / INTERMARCHÉ it was planned to have 2 races, the Marathon & 100m, where the world junior champion Sabien Tinson, GTC2019 TEAM USA, who had the two races in which he participated in Juniors, and claimed gold in the speed distances of the European Cup.

Unfortunately due to heavy rain which fell during the morning, it was impossible to do the 100m, without risk to physical safety of the skaters, so only the Marathon and races for the younger skaters took place.

A Full Marathon, 42Km, Marathon Água Hotels, took place for the first time in the history of the Tournament, replacing the Half Marathon or 35km previously contested in Lagos. It was contested with consistent heavy rain and very slippery and dangerous road conditions, especially on the descent to the main Avenida, where the road had been narrowed due to repairs not been adequately completed the day before the race. These conditions lead to many of the 400 skaters registered for the Marathon not lining up to start, fearing for their physical integrity.

Female race was won by Aura Quintana, COL, of Vitoria-Gasteiz International Team, who after a breakaway in the last lap won by a large distance, with a time of 1h37m19s, followed by two Portuguese, Andreia Canha, GD Lagoa – Algarve an Margarida Sousa, ADA Canelas who took 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

In the men’s race, it was a very close finish with a sprint between fiver skaters. First place went to Austrian, Christian Kromoser of Tempish International Team, second place went to Diogo Marreiros and third place went to Mexican Mike Paez.

Another edition of this already well established International Speed Skating Tournament, the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, comes to an end. Organisers are to be congratulated for the efforts made, even in the face of such meteorological and logistical difficulties, special thanks to all the those who supported the Tournament including Lagos Town Council, all local businesses an people who helped sponsor and support the event, as well as all participating clubs, managers, coaches and skaters who gave memorable performances, broadcast live on the YouTube Roller Lagos TV channel, which can be reviewed whenever you want:

Day 1 Morning – 5th April

Day 1 Afternoon – 5th April

Day 1 – Night – 5th April

Day 2 – 6th April

Day 3 – 7th April

What’s next, this weekend 11-14 April, the 3rd stage of the European Cup, in Geisingen, Germany, on the covered track which is considered the best track in the world, with close to 800 skaters registered to participate

Paulo Batista – Roller Lagos C.P.