Latvia's Vīgants reclaims Roller Ski World Cup overall title after year-long gap

Latvian roller skier Raimo Vīgants has reclaimed the Roller Ski World Cup overall title, repeating the feat he first achieved in 2024 after missing out last season.

Foundation laid at the World Championships

Vīgants, a four-time world champion in the sport, built his advantage at the World Championships held in his hometown of Madona, moving into the overall World Cup lead. That cushion gave him room to work with heading into the final stage of the season in Italy.

Decisive finish secures the title

The closing World Cup stage in Italy featured individual sprint and classic-style mass start races. Vīgants placed seventh in the classic event and fifth in the sprint, enough to hold off his rivals. He finished the season with 519 points, a commanding 76-point margin over the runner-up — a turnaround from last year, when he lost the title by a single point to Italy's Matteo Tanel on the final day of competition.

Germany's Tobias Bing finished second overall, with Sweden's Erik Fransson taking third.

Other Latvians close to podium finishes

At the final Italian stage, Latvian athletes collected several strong results: Linda Kaparkaleja took second in the women's 200m sprint, while Valts Skujins finished third among junior men. In the freestyle team sprint, two Latvian duos won their races — including Vīgants paired with Lauris Kaparkalejs — while a third Latvian pair finished third.

In the overall standings, Lauris Kaparkalejs ended fifth with 337 points, narrowly missing the top three. Linda Kaparkaleja placed sixth with 331 points in her first season among the adults, while junior standout Bruno Bilans finished ninth in his category.

In the nations' team standings, Latvia placed fourth, behind only Norway, Italy and Sweden.