The Italian skyrunning master Cristian Minoggio defended his SkyUltra world title on La Gomera, crossing the line in 6:12:12 to secure a third consecutive world championship gold.
From fifth place to the front at Los Aceviños
The race began at five in the morning in Vallehermoso, with 87 runners facing 62.30 kilometres and 3,775 metres of positive gain. Julen Calvo set the early pace, leading through Playa de Vallehermoso at kilometre 7.5 by a single second over Samuel Ponce. Minoggio sat fourth, six seconds down.
Calvo returned to Vallehermoso at kilometre 19.5 still holding a seven-second margin. Minoggio had slipped to fifth, sixteen seconds adrift, holding back as the compact coastal terrain gave way to the island's rugged interior.
Everything changed on the climb to Los Aceviños. Minoggio seized the lead and hit kilometre 31.5 at the front in 3:13:13. Calvo trailed by 1 minute 49 seconds, and for the first time the Italian had opened a gap that felt decisive. From there the podium trio raced alone, out of sight of one another.
A third crown and a margin that never shrank
Calvo cut the deficit to 1:59 at El Cedro, but Minoggio widened it again on the closing terrain. At La Cabezada, the final checkpoint with only 2.8 kilometres remaining, the lead stood at 6 minutes 18 seconds.
Minoggio took the warmth of the Gomeran crowd in the Plaza de las Américas, winning by 6:50 over Calvo, who earned silver in 6:19:02. Samuel Ponce held third in 6:21:40 to claim bronze for Andorra.
The Italian from Cannobio on Lake Maggiore arrived as reigning European champion and leaves with a third world title. On a humid September morning across volcanic terrain, he waited until the race's hardest section before making the move that nobody could answer.
