Monday, March 3, 2025 – Morgins (Switzerland)
The competition kicked off today with the highly anticipated Mixed Relay, the Olympic discipline set to make its debut at Milano-Cortina 2026.
Beyond the World Championship titles, Olympic quotas were at stake for the teams finishing in first and second place.
What a battle the athletes delivered! In the Senior category, it was an intense and unpredictable showdown, and in the end, France and Spain secured the precious tickets to Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
In the Youth category, we witnessed another thrilling contest. Spain got their redemption as the talented Laia Selles and Gonzalo Casares claimed gold. Discover everything that happened today, along with photos and videos of the best moments.
Senior Race Summary
What a race, what a spectacle!
On the start line of the Final A: the 12 nations, coming from the qualification rounds.
The women led off at noon in Les Crosets, with France’s Emily Harrop setting the pace, closely followed by Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson, Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton, and Spain’s Ana Alonso.
At the first handover, Thibault Anselmet took off with a slight lead, holding it through a flawless performance. But Switzerland’s Robin Bussard and Spain’s Oriol Cardona were right on his heels, making for a tense battle.
Then came the turning point. Marianne Fatton delivered a breathtaking effort in her second loop, catching up with Harrop in the final. The Swiss crowd erupted as Bussard launched into a furious sprint for victory, but Anselmet and Cardona weren’t done yet. In a thrilling finish, the French duo snatched the win by the smallest margin, with Spain securing second place. Bussard gave everything, collapsing at the finish line after an incredible effort.
Winners’ Reactions:
Emily Harrop – “We knew it was going to be really tough; our competitors have been ahead of lately. Today, we tried a new strategy by pushing hard from the start. I won’t lie, I suffered a lot at the end, but now I just feel so happy!”
Thibault Anselmet – “That last lap was incredibly tough—the other athletes are so strong. I think it was an exciting battle for the spectators. Huge thanks to Emily, and this is a great start for France!”
Final Results
1. HARROP EMILY / ANSELMET THIBAULT (FRA) + 2 quotas for MiCo2026
2. ALONSO RODRIGUEZ ANA / CARDONA COLL ORIOL (ESP) + 2 quotas for MiCo2026
3. MARIANNE FATTON / ROBIN BUSSARD (SUI)
4. JOHANNA HIEMER / PAUL VERBNJAK (AUT)
5. DE SILVESTRO ALBA / BOSCACCI MICHELE (ITA)
6. PALLER TATJANA / HÖSCH FINN (GER)
7. TOVE ALEXANDERSSON / JERKER LYSELL (SWE)
8. JAGERCIKOVA MARIANNA / SIARNIK JAKUB (SVK)
9. COOK-CLARKE EMMA / ROBSON AARON (CAN)
10. JANUSZYK IWONA / ELANTKOWSKI JAN (POL)
11. WALDAL IDA / KLETTE HANS-INGE (NOR)
12. YOUNG JESSIE / SMITH CAMERON (USA)
Youth Race Summary
The Youth Mixed Relay saw 26 athletes from nine nations—China, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the USA—line up for a thrilling showdown.
After an intense race finish, Spain’s Laia Selles and Gonzalo Casares climbed to the top of the podium after the Chinese duo received a penalty, dropping them to 4th place, despite having crossed the finish line first.
France claimed silver, with Camille Maupoix and Célestin Gullon delivering a strong performance to edge out Team USA, where Birkinshaw McCall and Griffin Briley fought hard to secure bronze. An incredible display of talent and determination from the next generation of SkiMo athletes!
Winners’ Reactions:
Laia Selles – “I’m so happy! We had an amazing race. The level of competition here is really high, so I’m savoring this victory.” Gonzalo Casares – “I gave it my all. What we’re experiencing right now is incredible! This is my first gold medal, and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better place for it to happen.”
Final Results
1. SELLES SANCHEZ LAIA / CASARES HERVIAS GONZALO (ESP)
2. MAUPOIX CAMILLE / GULLON CÉLESTIN (FRA)
3. BIRKINSHAW MCCALL / BRILEY GRIFFIN (USA)
4. PUMU ANI PUMU ANI / GONGSONG LANGJIA (CHI)
5. DESEYN ROBINE / ULDRY MALIK (SUI)
6. POLLINI GIORGIA / CURIONI LUCA (ITA)
7. ANDERSEN ELISE HJELSET / TRONVOLL HAMPUS MACK (NOR)
8. GOMOLA PAULINA / KOSNY MATEUSZ (POL)
9. PREDA MARIA ZAMFIRA / PETRE MATEI (ROM)
Mixed Relay track
The race started at the base of the Les Crosets resort, at the Hameau T-bar lift, located at an altitude of 1,650 meters.
The course features a total elevation gain of 145 meters and stretches just over 1 km, consisting of two climbs: the first, an 80m+ ascent, followed by a descent back to the start area, before the second 65m+ climb, which includes a transition with a running section. The course then leads into the final descent towards the relay exchange zone and the finish line.
Follow the action
The competition continues! Follow the results with live tracking available for all events, along with live broadcast coverage for the Sprint Senior finals. You can find all the links to access the live streams, as well as press-dedicated photos and videos, in the following document: MEDIA LINKS
Upcoming races
- Tuesday, March 4: Vertical races
- Thursday, March 6: Sprint races
- Friday, March 7: Individual races
- Saturday, March 8: Team Race
