The Borrufa Trophy was able to conclude today the competitions of its 34th edition, which exceptionally took place on the Esparver slope in the El Tarter sector of Grandvalira. Thus, the U14 and U16 giant slalom events were held, for both men’s and women’s categories, and each athlete was able to complete two runs. After the storm, today’s session enjoyed good conditions, allowing the young skiers to put on quite a show. During the day, the Andorran delegation managed to win one gold medal, one silver, and a total of six podium finishes. Added to their achievements from the first day, the Andorran representatives totaled six medals and 14 podiums. Furthermore, team Andorra 1 secured first place in the team standings with a total of 194 points, ahead of France 1 (141pts) and Spain 1 (133pts), while team Andorra 2 finished fourth with 102 points. Likewise, Emma Guitard and Ot Cusidó in U14, and Paula Ledesma and Aiden Grard in U16, were awarded the prizes for best Andorran athletes.

The Borrufa Trophy race director, Àlex Antor, gave a “positive assessment” of the edition, having been able to “offer four races despite adverse conditions,” noting that “it was a shame not to be able to take advantage of the great conditions we had early last week in Ordino Arcalís.” He also highlighted “the collaboration of the Grandvalira team for hosting us on the Esparver slope in El Tarter” and wanted to “thank everyone involved in the organization of this edition for adapting to so many changes in so few days.”

Aiden Grard and Aitor Corbalan dominate in the U16 giant slalom

The Andorran delegation put in a great performance in the U16 giant slalom, achieving many top finishes. Standout performances came from Aiden Grard and Aitor Corbalan, who dominated the category by finishing first and second respectively, with times of 1’47”03 and 1’47”11, just .08 seconds apart. The podium was completed by the French skiers Jules Perefarres (+.65) and Simeon Garcia Essique (+1.31), and the Bulgarian Yordan Stoychev (+1.38). Close to the podium were also Andorran team members Pol Xampeny (7th), Thomas Breiftuss (9th), Manel Romo (10th), and Íker Cerdà (11th), showing the great depth of talent in the Principality.

In the women’s category, Lilia Hadzhistoyanova from the Bulgarian team took the gold medal with a strong time of 1'46”75, followed by Paula Carrascosa from Spain (+3.27), who took silver, and Britain’s Darcey Davies (+3.35), who finished third. The rest of the podium was Andorran, with performances from Paula Ledesma (+3.37), who missed out on bronze by only two tenths of a second and finished fourth, and Júlia Capdevila (+3.89), who placed fifth. Jana Ferrer and Emma Soto finished tenth and eleventh respectively.

Two more podiums for the Principality in the U14 giant slalom

In today’s U14 women’s giant slalom, the podium was well spread among nationalities. Spain’s Lidia González Vaquero was crowned champion, clocking a time of 1’49”51, followed by Gerda Kovari (+.70) from Hungary, and Britain’s Silvia Curtis (+2.15). Andorra took fourth with Emma Guitard (+2.68), and the podium was rounded out in fifth place by Chanelle Axelsson (+3.70) from Azerbaijan. Very close behind was Andorra’s Júlia Pifarrer (+3.76), who had to settle for sixth place.

In the men’s category, the Argentinian delegation claimed first and third place, with Máximo Guaricuyu Beno taking victory in 1’48”49, while fellow Argentinian Tommy Oseas Tossen won bronze (+1.84). Between them, Pol Arroniz (+.66) from Spain secured the silver medal. Marçal Vilanova (+2.28), also representing Spain, finished fourth, while Andorra’s Marcel Marot (+3.09) was fifth, adding another podium for the tricolor delegation. Noteworthy performances also came from Kim Ambor (6th) and Martí Fernández (9th), contributing to Andorra’s strong showing.