First gold medal for Kilian Jornet in the Ski Mountaineering World Championship held in Alpago-Piancavallo (Italy). He was fastest in the vertical race and claimed his fifth World Championship in the specialty after 10 years in the mountain skiing elite.
 
Jornet showed that he’s on top of his game in an event that was delayed due to a late snowfall in the Italian Dolomites. Kilian crossed the line in a time of 24:06, 12 seconds faster than the Italian Damiano Lenzi. The Swiss Werner Marti was third.  

“I’m very happy with today’s race because finishing a World Championship like this is always great. That’s five consecutive World Championships and to be in good shape on D-Day for ten years is very positive,” Jornet said.

The climbing time trial is the penultimate event in the World Championship which ends tomorrow with the relay race in which the Cerdanya athlete is also taking part in the Spanish team’s last relay.

Jornet was hoping to regain the title he won two years ago in the World Championship held in Verbier (Switzerland). This time the event started in Piancavallo in the Dolomites where competitors faced the frenetic 560m ascent to the Val dei Sas refuge.

The race began at a fast pace with Jornet in the leading group comprising Werner Marti and Damiano Lenzi with whom he ran for part of the race. At the halfway point, Lenzi speeded up but couldn’t get away from Jornet who won by over 10 seconds.  

“We set off very quickly, with Werder Marti and Damiano Lenzi. Halfway through Lenzi put on the pressure but I had good legs. I managed to gain the advantage on the last leg,” he said.

It’s Jornet’s second medal in this World Championship after the silver he took in the individual event which the very same Damiano Lenzi won on the final sprint.