Maruša Tereza Šerkezi is getting better from race to race

Slovenian mountain biker Maruša Tereza Šerkezi delivered a standout performance at the third round of the World Cup for U23 riders in Leogang, Austria, securing her best-ever result in the short track cross-country event with a fourth-place finish.

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I must say that it suited me, especially because I gained a lot on the descents compared to the other girls.

While Šerkezi typically favors the Olympic cross-country format, she has shown a remarkable aptitude for the shorter, approximately twenty-minute short track discipline. This was particularly evident on the challenging, muddy course in Leogang, where she excelled, gaining time on her competitors during descents. She described her start as excellent, finding herself in the lead and able to control the race pace.

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The start was excellent, especially for me. Suddenly I found myself in first position, which was good because I could control the race better afterwards.

Despite a slight dip in performance around the ten-minute mark that saw her fall to fifth, Šerkezi demonstrated strong recovery in the final laps. She managed to rejoin the leaders and launched an attack on the final climb, though she was ultimately overtaken by the Austrian rider. Nevertheless, she expressed significant satisfaction with her fourth-place finish, her strongest result to date in this discipline.

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Around the tenth minute, I faltered slightly, which caused me to drop to fifth place, but I recovered well in the last two laps and caught the leaders.

This result propels Šerkezi to fourth place in the overall short track standings, following previous finishes of fifth and twelfth in South Korea and the Czech Republic. She is now setting her sights on the upcoming Olympic cross-country race, where she has also achieved strong results, including a fourth-place finish recently. Šerkezi noted her liking for the Leogang course and expressed excitement for the remaining races on the calendar, particularly those with technically demanding sections.

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In the final lap, I attempted an attack on the finishing climb, but the Austrian rider overtook me. Still, I am very satisfied with fourth place, as it is my best result in this discipline.