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The only thing missing for perfection was sunshine

Arpád Köteles 1/26/2026

The only thing missing for perfection was sunshine

Arpád Köteles 1/26/2026

The opening race of the 29th annual U. S. Steel Košice Winter Sports Games took place on Saturday, January 24, at Kojšovská hoľa. Forty enthusiastic cross-country skiers lined up at the start. The track was perfectly prepared, with a light breeze blowing, fresh snow falling in the morning, and temperatures below zero. The conditions were almost ideal, with only the sun missing to make them perfect.

Before the race, Miroslav Sajko and Jozef Sciranko spoke on behalf of the organizers, and acting president Mike Piekut and Peter Kovaľ from OZ KOVO wished everyone a happy and safe competition. For Mike Piekut, it was his first time at the Winter Games, and he lined up at the start as a competitor for the first time.

Once again, the Sýč-Kriváň family was there. "It was another very successful event with an almost family-like atmosphere, which was of course enhanced by the idyllic winter scenery of the snow-covered landscape. The track for the "classic style" was very well prepared, and I was most pleased by the cheering of the fans along the track at the turning point and at the finish line. The organization was top-notch, for which thanks are due to all those involved," said Eva, evaluating the race on behalf of the family.

Daniel Kapák reserved the entire weekend for sports: "A week before the race, I bought new cross-country skis, so I thought it would be super fast. However, the fresh snow was slower, my competitors gradually pulled away from me from the start, and I struggled a bit. Despite this, I am satisfied with my 4th place. I stayed at Erik's cottage because there was another race on Sunday. I must say that I admire the performance of our acting president, who stood on cross-country skis for the first time and managed to complete the entire course, which is quite demanding. His speech before and after the race was very encouraging for us participants and deserved applause from everyone."

Jaroslav Herbert participated in the competition for the second time. "As a beginner, I appreciated the fresh snow, which made the track safer and the runs less fast. A great part of the event was the opportunity to meet colleagues from different departments. Although there were only two of us in my age category, the atmosphere was excellent, and if the opportunity arises, I will be happy to participate again next year."

"I participated in the race for the first time and really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was great, and I met several friends and former colleagues after many years. The first lap went well, but in the last, third lap, I struggled, especially when climbing hills. I was very satisfied with my performance. I plan to participate again next year," said Vjačeslav Kupko.

Deputy President Mike Piekut earned the admiration of his colleagues, as this was his first race and his first experience on cross-country skis. "It was my first experience on traditional Nordic skis. It was challenging at first, but after a while, I enjoyed skiing. I liked that the track led through a beautiful snow-covered forest. The atmosphere was excellent. Some of the participants are very skilled and highly competitive. But fun and participation were the most important things, and the competition was secondary. The event was very well organized and the location was amazing. Thank you to all the participants and thank you to the organizers for an excellent event."

Helena Ondejková was also satisfied with the course of the race. "The weather was favorable this year, there was no severe frost or strong wind, the only thing missing for perfection was sunshine and clear skies. We had a few centimeters of snow in the morning, and the tracks were perfectly prepared. Going downhill was fine, but going uphill was harder, so we need to build up our fitness :). As always, I was surprised by the participation in the older age categories and especially by the excellent results of the older men."

Results:

 

Name

Surname

 

Time

Diff1

Diff2

Time/km

BLM45 - men 45 - 3x2 km

1

Martin

Syč-Kriváň

0:35:20

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:05:53

2

Jaroslav

Herbert

0:37:52

0:02:32

0:02:32

0:06:19

BLM55 - men 55 - 3x2 km  

1

Jozef

Jaššo

0:26:20

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:04:23

2

Branislav

Jánoš

0:27:43

0:01:23

0:01:23

0:04:37

3

Róbert

Ordoš

0:32:13

0:05:53

0:04:30

0:05:22

4

Peter

Dzuro

0:32:34

0:06:14

0:00:21

0:05:26

5

Miloš

Mitaľ

0:35:01

0:08:41

0:02:27

0:05:50

6

Štefan

Nižník

0:35:11

0:08:51

0:00:10

0:05:52

7

Peter

Bencko

0:38:56

0:12:36

0:03:45

0:06:29

8

Peter

Marko

0:39:22

0:13:02

0:00:26

0:06:34

9

Gabriel

Šároši

0:40:52

0:14:32

0:01:30

0:06:49

10

Mike

Piekut

0:53:20

0:27:00

0:12:28

0:08:53

BLM62 - men 62  - 3x2 km  

1

Milan

Lacko

0:26:15

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:04:22

2

Ján

Antoš

0:27:58

0:01:43

0:01:43

0:04:40

3

Vojtech

Babják

0:29:51

0:03:36

0:01:53

0:04:59

4

Daniel

Kapák

0:32:07

0:05:52

0:02:16

0:05:21

5

Igor

Horňák

0:39:54

0:13:39

0:07:47

0:06:39

6

Henrik

Hric

0:40:21

0:14:06

0:00:27

0:06:44

7

Miroslav

Liščinský

0:41:05

0:14:50

0:00:44

0:06:51

8

Róbert

Gonda

0:42:56

0:16:41

0:01:51

0:07:09

9

Vjačeslav

Kupko

0:45:37

0:19:22

0:02:41

0:07:36

10

Roman

Fedák

0:45:54

0:19:39

0:00:17

0:07:39

11

Michal

Vaľko

0:46:36

0:20:21

0:00:42

0:07:46

12

Albert

Kováč

0:52:14

0:25:59

0:05:38

0:08:42

BLM70 - men 70 - 2x2 km

1

Jozef

Sciranko

0:16:41

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:04:10

2

Ján

Syč-Kriváň

0:22:42

0:06:01

0:06:01

0:05:41

3

František

Gecík

0:26:39

0:09:58

0:03:57

0:06:40

4

Miroslav

Sciranko

DNS

----

----

----

BLMn70 - men 70 - 2x2 km 

1

Michal

Dutko

0:16:54

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:04:14

2

Miroslav

Greško

0:25:51

0:08:57

0:08:57

0:06:28

3

Imrich

Lelkeš

0:30:27

0:13:33

0:04:36

0:07:37

4

Jozef

Vrabel

0:30:28

0:13:34

0:00:01

0:07:37

5

Milan

Brutovský

0:43:30

0:26:36

0:13:02

0:10:52

6

Blažej

Kotler

0:44:34

0:27:40

0:01:04

0:11:08

7

Miroslav

Jarošinec

DNS

----

----

----

BLŽd50 - women - 2x2 km  

1

Lucia

Petrovičová

0:19:51

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:04:58

2

Helena

Ondejková

0:29:59

0:10:08

0:10:08

0:07:30

BLŽn50 - women - 2x2 km 

1

Erika

Linkeschová

0:27:02

0:00:00

0:00:00

0:06:45

2

Eva

Syčová-Kriváňová

0:31:00

0:03:58

0:03:58

0:07:45

3

Emília

Kohútová

0:35:11

0:08:09

0:04:11

0:08:48

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After Meeting Between Government of Slovakia Representatives And Senior Executives of Nippon Steel Corporation / U. S. Steel Košice, February 9, 2024 at 3pm JST

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