Double Trouble

Andrej Segec teamed with his sister Eva to compete in the cross-country mixed sprint 

LAGO DI TESERO – There were 40 teams vying for a place in the Cross-country sprint final Sunday afternoon.

However, only one pair were brother and sister.

Slovakia’s Andrej Segec and Eva Segecova teamed up at the 2013 Winter Universiade to tackle a tough field. However, they fell short of making the final as they finished 13^th in their heat with a time of 19:47.87.

Both learned, and continue to practice and compete, with their Ski Team Jase Latky. To help their preparations for the Winter Universiade, they have been training in Livorno, Italy since the middle of November. They also competed in races in Santa Caterina Valfurva, located in the Italian province of Sondrio, and as well as in Seefeld, Austria.

The event was won by the Russian duo of Ermil Vokuev and Evgeniia Oschepkova

Mixed sprint combines a male and female counterpart who each ski three laps alternatively around the 1.3 km course. In a tricky exercise, to make the relay between each lap, the skier completing the lap must touch their partner with their hand before they can begin their lap, often causing mad chaos, especially when 20 teams are attempting to it at once.

The final was won by the Russian duo of Ermil Vokuev and Evgeniia Oschepkova, who edged Sweden and their Russian counterparts to take the gold medal in an exciting final.

Before winning the final, Vokuev and Oschepkova had won their semi-final, which also featured the Slovakian duo.

Matt Tidcombe, FISU Young Reporter