Today marks the start of the fourth seasonal stage of the short track World Cup in Gangneung, South Korea, the Italian team’s last engagement in 2016 before returning to the home slopes for the European Championships in Turin from 13 to 15 January. It is the first test event with PyeongChang 2018 in view. The Italians are relying on renewed élan from Arianna Fontana (Fiamme Gialle, Predazzo), now back on form and over the after-effects of her Calgary ankle injury, who got a great second place in the second 500 in Shanghai a week ago.

 Expectations are high for the relays: the women’s team, after the first two places and a second position in Final B, will try in Korea to focus on finally getting into Final A to have a chance of finishing with a placement amongst the top teams. Fontana’s presence is essential; with her contribution, the Italian team gains a lot in terms of competitiveness. More difficult to talk about the Italian men’s relay team, which has still not managed to repeat last year’s exploits. Perhaps Gangneung will be able to break the negative spiral that has seen the Italian foursome always eliminated. Among the men, Tommaso Dotti (Fiamme Oro, Moena) e Andrea Cassinelli (V.G., Turin) remain the most accredited for winning strong individual placements.