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London Rollerski Race #1 - Report & Results Results - Guest of Honour, John Moore, Olympian - Pictures
2011's rollerski racing season got off to a fine start, with 26 skiers coming along to the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit, in the Minet Country Park, West London. This was in not only one of the biggest fields of recent years, but also one of the most diverse, with skiers aged from 12 to 62 taking part. Both London clubs were well represented, and there was a handful of visitors from the Army and elsewhere.
The Mens' 15k race was the most fiercely contested, with Andy Honczar and Marcus Hjelleset fighting it out. As is often the case in mass-start cross-country ski races, it came down to a sprint, and Marcus - who had held back for most of the race - outsprinted Andy. Further down the field, there was a close battle between Alan Eason, Chris Richards and Adam Pinney, who finished within 20 seconds.
Guest of Honour: John Moore The day was made more special by the appearance of 3-times Olympian, John Moore, who gave out prizes and made a short speech. John represented Great Britain in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics. In 1956 he took part in the 15k and 30k cross-country ski events. And in 1960, in addition to the cross-country ski events, he took part in what was the first ever Olympic biathlon event, the 20k (all on classic skis in those days). He carried on with cross-country skiing and biathlon in the 1964 Olympics, and thereafter played a prominent role in developing the sport of biathlon. (You can see his Olympic results here). It was fascinating to meet John, who at the age of 78 is still enjoying sport. He roller skis and does strength training every day, and in the winter can be found Alpine and cross-country skiing in Austria (where he baffles the locals by skiing down the Alpine runs on cross-country skis). He is also part of an amazing Olympic dynasty. In the 1948 London Olympics, at the age of 14, he was inspired by watching his father George take part in the fencing competition. Then in the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, he saw his son Mark take part in the cross-country skiing competition. John was particularly keen to meet the new generation of London cross-country skiers, having seen rollerskiing on the BBC's Countryfile programme. He spent some time showing us pictures of large rollerski races in London in the early 1980's (when the Army was more involved in the sport) and also blind rollerskiers training in Hyde Park at around the same time. We hope to get him back to speak to the Juniors later this Summer or in the Autumn, as he is a true inspiration and a legend.
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