Inaugural Melbourne FIS Rollerski Races

Melbourne hosted its first ever FIS event last month, the FIS Rollerski International at the Yarra Boulevard in Studley Park on the weekend of May 28/29.

On the women's side both the 1km Freestyle Sprint and the 5km Classic were on by Katerina Paul, recently returned from Switzerland after the northern hemisphere winter. The Sprint podium was rounded out by Damika Morton ahead of Hannah Price, while the next day in the 5km the positions were reversed and Price was the runner-up ahead of Morton.

The men's 1km Sprint final saw Adam Barnett claim victory in a close finish ahead of John Walker, with junior Boris Stanish taking third. Walker turned the tables the next day, winning the 10km by over 40 seconds, with Cal Britten just squeezing several juniors off the podium to take third place.

Sprint winner and 10km runner-up, Adam Barnett

Though participation numbers were relatively low, with several potential podium contenders sidelined prior to the event due to illness, race organisers were satisfied to get this inaugural event up and rolling without any major hitches, laying the groundwork for future growth.

"This Yarra Boulevard enclosed loop is perfect for this type of event", said chief of race and Snow Australia Program Director Finn Marsland. "When junior skier numbers start to build back up again after these two years of covid, an event like this will be ideal to showcase the sport to a larger audience."

All results are available via Alpine Timing: Sprint / Distance