Vlad Dascalu impressed again at the site of his 2021 breakout performance
It wasn’t his first World Cup win, but it was close. Vlad Dascalu gave a spirited performance during Friday’s World Cup short track event in Snowshoe and came in second after leading most of the race. American Christopher Blevins pipped Dascalu in the sprint for the line, winning by two seconds.
Dascalu made every effort to break the elastic to the field. He set a furious pace at the front of the pack for three full laps before letting others have a turn. Then for the final four laps, he repeatedly surged forward to string out his competitors.
A regular sight: Vlad Dascalu off the front.
On the last lap, Dascalu made what was very nearly a winning attack, taking only Luca Braidot with him and leaving a large gap in his wake. But Blevins was able to bridge and snag Dascalu’s wheel on the lap’s final climbs, putting him in good position for his strong sprint on the finishing flat.
The 1-2 pairing of Blevins-Dascalu mirrored the 2021 XCO finish in Snowshoe. Back then, Dascalu took second for a career best result. It foreshadowed what has been one of the best and most consistent campaigns in men’s XC this season.
Evidence of a hard fought battle.
VROOM.
Dascalu has now finished fourth or higher in every World Cup short track and Olympic-distance race he has completed this year except for Lenzerheide. He took second in Nové Město’s Olympic-distance race to match his 2021 Snowshoe performance. And in Andorra earlier this month, he appeared to be on a winning pace Sunday before suffering a mechanical issue and battling back to finish fourth.
Dascalu is tantalizingly close to securing his first World Cup win. Sunday’s race (which you can watch right here at 2:30 p.m. ET) will be another great opportunity. Dascalu’s legs clearly feel good, and Snowshoe has treated him well. Most importantly, he’s going to fight for every last second. Because that’s just what Vlad Dascalu does.
