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The giant slalom event has just come to an end on the Salizzona slope in Fondo Grande. Category 1 boys and girls raced today (years'97, '96 and '95). The temperature of about 2 degrees below zero and a cloudy sky helped maintain good snow conditions throughout the race.
The total time was obtained summing up the 2 runs. German athlete Monika Hümmer came in first at 1'38''81 who did two excellent runs ahead of Italian Jlenia Sabidussi (1'39''44) and Arianna Stocco (1'40''00) who climbed up one place in the second run. The Italian team did very well also with a 6th place clinched by Nicole Pinto (1'41''34). All Italian athletes come from the Bachmann ski college of Tarvisio and they are satisfied with this first day of races and hope to do well in slalom on Friday too.
As to the boys’ event, instead, different nations are at the top of the result list and the winner is Roman Unterwies, from Austria, at 1'39''73, ahead of Italy’s Christian Rottonara (1'40''24) and German Thomas Brackle (1'41''39).
After the first run, German domain seemed to prevail with Frederik Norys, Thomas Brackle and Bastian Meisen at the first places. However, during the second run, the situation changed. Norys e Meisen did many mistakes in the central part of the course finishing far from the top.
The athletes of the Paralympic committee raced on the same course. This is the first time that these disabled athletes race together with the others and this is a good message that the event wants to convey. We interviewed Nicholas Parisi and these are his words: “I’m very happy to be here, it’s a wonderful experience, the slopes are great”.
The athletes have given a positive opinion on both courses they had to face.
The only complaints were that it was too long for some athletes.

Classifica gara femminile
1.    Hümmer Monika (Ger) -  1'38''81
2.    Sabidussi Jlenia (Ita) -  1'39''44
3.    Stocco Arianna (Ita) -  1'40''00
4.    Ortlieb Nina (Aut) - 1' 40''29
5.    Wirth Paulina (Aut) – 1'40''63

Classifica gara maschile
1.    Unterwies Roman (Aut) – 1'39''73
2.    Rottonara Christian (Ita) – 1'40''24
3.    Brackle Thomas (Ger) – 1'41''29
4.    Nantermoz Thomas (Fra) – 1'41''46
5.    Bonnefond Tom (Fra) - 1'41''67