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Bart Swings won the International Ski Marathon in Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira on Sunday.
Michelle Verherstretensource: BELGA
The Swings were victorious, well ahead of the peloton, with France’s Nolan Beddiaf and Valentin Thiebault finishing second and third, respectively. The second Belgian, Jason Suttles, came in fifth. Sandrine Tass did not finish the marathon in the women’s race.
This was the second inline World Cup match. This series consists of seven marathons, the most important of which is in Berlin on September 24. The series began three weeks ago at Rennes, with Sails taking second place behind Pedaf and Swings not participating.
The Swings decided to make the race with start and finish at Avenida San Carneiro a solo show. Already after the first twelve laps (more than three kilometers long) he had a twenty-second lead. With an average speed of 42 km/h, the swings extended the margin for more than a minute.
The Swings tested themselves at the World Games, which began in Birmingham, Alabama in just over three weeks. Swings is the only Belgian player in his sport. For him, the Games dedicated to non-Olympic sports are the most important inline skating tournament of the summer. By the time European and world titles were on the line, he was back on his skis.
In 2021 the Swings won in Funchal as well. Then Tass was the winner of the women’s competition. The marathon on the sunny island was the final part of the Madeira Roller, a four-day event for windsurfers. On the windswept track, Swings was limited to the ten kilometer and 1,000 metre races, which he won. The Suttels won the elimination race. Unlike Swings, Suttels completed the entire program. Behind the French Elton de Sousa, he took second place in the general classification. Tass came fourth in the 500 meters and was won by France’s Mathilde Pedroneau.
