Smigun sisters ready for new season

  • 2004-10-27
  • By Aleksei Gunter
TALLINN - Despite the unseasonably warm weather right now, Estonia's cross-country skiing pros Kristina and Katrin Smigun are raring to get going with the new season in November. While the older sister Kristina has said that she's aiming for one or two medals at the FIS World Skiing Championship in Obersdorf, Germany, next February, Katrin's main concern is to gain enough points to qualify for the World Cup.

The skiing siblings, who are adored by the Estonian press and worshipped by winter sports fans, spent the summer training in Otepaa, southern Estonia, and in the Vuokatti skiing tunnel in Finland. For their final preparations for the season they spent the start of the fall training in Ramsau, Austria.

Kristina Smigun said that their preparations for the season had gone as planned and that their training workload had increased by some 2 percent.

"The Suverull [roller-skiing contest held in the summer in Otepaa] showed that the women's level has gone up compared to last year," said Kristina, who won the contest. Her younger sister came 25th.

Kristjan-Thor Vahi, the manager of the Smigun team, said the aim for Kristina at the World Championship in Obersdorf next year was to win two medals from the three individual races to be held there.

It is yet unclear whether Kristina will be able to take part in the relay race in Obersdorf, as not all the Estonian cross-country women skiers have qualified for the championship.

At the last FIS World Skiing Championship in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Kristina won the double pursuit race, came second in the 10- and 15-kilometer races, and third in the 30-kilometer race. Her other major achievements include a number of victories in FIS World Cup competitions and coming in seventh place at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in 2002.