The Torino 2025 FISU Games have not yet reached their turning point, but it is already clear that this event has been outstanding for one nation in particular. France leads the medal table with 23 podium places (12/5/6), with student athletes from this country standing on the podium ten times today alone, five times on the top step.
Silver for Swedish Cousins in Super G
Nestled in the heart of the Piedmont Alps, the Melezet slopes of Bardonecchia, renowned for hosting snowboarding events during the 2006 Winter Olympics, provided the perfect setting for today’s thrilling Super-G competitions. The morning began with 35 women at the start, showcasing skill and determination on the challenging course. In the afternoon, 57 men took to the slopes, continuing the excitement in this iconic Alpine venue. Gold went to France and Spain.
Louison ACCAMBRAY, winner of Women’s race, said: “I’m so happy! I gave everything I had and tried my best to have no regrets. I’m thrilled to share this moment with my teammates. Two days ago, my team mate won gold, and I finished third; this time, we switched places, and it’s still a great team result. I really wanted the gold this time. Two years ago, I finished fourth, but now I’ve achieved what I wanted to.
‘Training for Super-G is challenging, and I hadn’t trained or raced in Super-G for over a year. This morning was stressful, but I focused on enjoying the moment and pushing past the nerves. It’s always better when you just go for it and stay chill!”
Ander MINTEGUI from Spain said: “I had a very good race and I’m doing well overall. This is my first time at the FISU Games. The organization of the race was excellent, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t feel any pressure because it’s a big event. I’ve been on TV before during the World University Championships, so that doesn’t make me more nervous.
Outside of competing, my favorite memories are just being here in Bardonecchia. I love spending time at the Villaggio Olimpico, talking with other athletes, and going out with my friends and teammates.”
Second place went to Sophie NYBER and Emil NYBERG from Sweden. Email said: “It’s a big day for my family because Sophie Nyberg is my cousin! The atmosphere here is incredible, it feels like a step closer to the Olympics, and that’s exciting. I also love meeting so many athletes from different countries and sports and sharing this amazing experience with them.”
France shines with Tillier and Picouet
Freestyle competitions in the moguls ended in the past few days. However, today, the excitement of freestyle continued with an even more complex discipline: the freeski slopestyle. This speciality sees athletes competing on slopes filled with jumps and obstacles of various kinds, such as rails, tubes, and benches.
At Bardonecchia, on a track located at 2100 meters, the air was freezing, but the atmosphere was warmed by spectators, families, and coaches. Everyone was eagerly waiting for the arrival of the athletes. “I’m relieved, as a parent watching,” said the mother of silver medalist Lara Jane Shaw. The race was organized in four rounds, two for each category, with 6 women and 12 men competing. France dominated thanks to the achievement of three medals: two golds by Victoire Tillier and Hugo Picouet, and a bronze by Amélie Cancel.
Cancel expressed some dissatisfaction with her performance but she hopes to redeem herself on January 18 during the freeski big air qualifiers. The athlete commented: “it will be my revenge.” Tillier, her French teammate, was instead very pleased with her result even though she decided to postpone the celebrations to the upcoming competitions. Although friends and families of the French girls were not present, as they pointed out, the warm support of the team was strong enough to fill the absence. Coaches and staff members were ready to celebrate them after the mascotte ceremony.
Hugo Picouet, the gold medalist in the men’s category, thanked the French team as well. He broke the ice by joking about it being his “first time” doing an interview entirely in English. The 19-year-old then commented on his victory, saying that he had delivered the best performance he could. “The most difficult part was the jumps, but I did a good job,” he added with a smile. As he explained, the challenge in his sport lies in achieving a clean result in every phase, from the tricks to the landing.
The silver medal went to the Estonian Stefan Sorokin. “I can’t say I’m happy, but at least I won a medal. Now I need to give my best in training,” he said right after the competition. Slovenian athlete Klemen Vidmar secured third place in the event. He said he was satisfied with his bronze medal but also acknowledged that he knew he could aim for gold. Referring to a teammate’s fall during the competition, Vidmar reminded everyone of the importance of never giving up, commenting: “I think that as long as you practice, you learn how to fall and how to stand up and get back to do better, falls make us stronger.”
All athletes are looking forward to giving their best in the January 18 Big Air qualifiers. For some, it will be an opportunity to confirm their results, while for others, it will be a chance to reverse them and earn a spot on the podium.
Contest for Gold in High Altitude
Bardonecchia – Sellette, 17 January – Today was the final of the men’s and women’s Snowboard Slopestyle at 2100m. After several female athletes were injured in training over the past few days, today’s final had five competitors from USA, Argentina, Canada and Slovenia.
The clear, bright, windless weather were a blessing to the competitors who had near perfect conditions for their finals.
In the women’s competition, Amy McCarthy, CAN, tied with Tanja Valcl, SLO, with the latter taking the win after scoring an impressive 94.25. Abril Luz Casco, ARG, the only Argentinian in the Snowboard competitions here in Sellette, won Bronze and was delighted with her win. She said, “I cannot believe it, I love this place. I attach a lot of importance to my studies, so I must manage the combination, mostly in winter, when I have school and training at the same time. Luckily the winter vacations provide me with some proper focus on my training. This was the first time competing internationally, and I am happy to get a medal in my first competition outside of my home country.”
Women’s Gold medallist, Tinkara Tanja Valcl, SLO said,
“It feels amazing, luck was on my side, the weather was just amazing. The University Games are always fun, you meet a lot of friends. I mostly liked the rails, and I particularly liked my frontside rotations. I am finishing up my snowboard career. I am getting older, so I think I need to start working.”
In the men’s competition Fujiya Ryoji,JPN, who was the clear favourite in yesterday’s qualifications, was extremely disappointed with his 4th place. It was Noe Petit, FRA, who won today’s finals, over Thom Vogel, NED and Liam Garandel, FRA who got the third spot on the podium.
Noe Petit, FRA said, “I am particularly happy because I haven’t been winning any medals recently, because I struggled with a stress fracture. Today I landed both runs. I cannot really explain why Team France is doing so well these days, I guess we just are the best. My goal is to win gold again in the big air.”
Last Day for Para Student-Athletes in Pragelato
The trails of Pragelato Plan saw thrilling action today as the world’s top cross-country skiers competed in the Sprint Classic Heats and Finals, delivering unforgettable through packing heats and exciting finals for both athletes and spectators. The short, intense races tested endurance, speed, and tactical awareness as competitors navigated tight corners and steep inclines to secure podium finishes.
Cross-Country Skiing – Sprint Classic Technique Finals
In the women’s final, Izabela Marcisz (POL) executed a perfectly timed attack on the final meters, pulling away from the pack to claim the gold in 3:35.06. The battle for second was just as fierce, with Kaidy Kaasiku (EST, +0,36 seconds) edging out Anni Lindroos (FIN, +0,74 seconds) with just a few centimeters ahead to secure silver. For Kaasiku, it was nevertheless bittersweet, as her twin sister had qualified for the final as well but was sadly disqualified before the start. Despite the drama, the crowd erupted as the women pushed through in double-poling on the final meters, showcasing the sheer determination and skill that define cross-country sprinting at its finest.
Izabela Marcisz (POL) said: “m super happy! This morning, I didn’t feel good. Before the qualification I felt very sleepy and ’m very surprised but after each heat, I felt better and at the end I pushed full gas. I’m super, super happy, especially because I know these girls from the World Cup, and we have been competing together the last few years. So it was a nice feeling competing here with them.”
The men’s final delivered a heart-pounding finish as Nolan Gertsch (SUI) surged ahead in the final stretch to capture gold in 3:02.96 minutes, leaving the rest of the field trailing behind. Behind him, Valtteri Pennanen and Markus Kasanen fell on each other behind the finish line, celebrating silver and bronze for Team Finland, finishing behind Gertsch with 0.76 seconds and 1.18 seconds respectively. The intense pace and strategic maneuvering kept spectators on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
Gertsch said: “It’s great to be here and achieve a podium. For me it is quite unbelievable, a lot of work went into this gold and also a lot of luck on the skis. So my big, big thank you to the wax team, this gold is really unbelievable!”
Para Cross-Country Skiing – Sprint Classic Technique Finals
Germany’s dominance was on full display in the women’s visually impaired final, as Leonie Walter, guided by Christian Krasman, claimed her second gold medal of these games with a flawless performance, finishing in 4:40.3 minutes. Their smooth transitions and synchronized effort left no room for competitors to close the gap. The battle for silver was equally intense, with second German Johanna Recktenwald, guided by Emily Rose Weiss, finishing 28.8 seconds behind her teammate and Aneta Kobryn (POL with Katazyna Witek) coming in third at a time of 46.8 seconds behind Walter.
In the women’s para standing there wasn’t much of a competition, as Tabea Dolzan (SLO) was the sole athlete to compete in the final, being on the track with the visually impaired athlete and finishing 1:44,3 seconds behind Walter, yet obviously claiming the gold in her own category.
Walter said: “It was a very cool race, and I started fast right away. I’m very happy to win today on the day of my birthday – it is a nice present. Even though the start was quite hard, as it was delayed due to some technical difficulties, so it was difficult to stay warm while waiting in the start line. I needed to warm up, just standing on my skis in position at the start, which is very difficult.”
Men’s Sprint Classic Vision Impaired Final
In the men’s visually impaired final, Inkki Inola (FIN) secured gold with remarkable coordination and such an amazing speed of 3:31.1 min, that he competed without his guide, stating that he is just way faster in classical technique sprint than his guide and he would have just slowed him down. That wasn’t far from the truth, as second placed Lennart Mattis Volkert (GER) with his guide Nils Kolb finished 12.2 seconds behind Inola – a high number for the short sprint competition. Roman Krubanov of Kazakhstan with his guide Anton Zhdanovich came in third with a time of +1:09.8 minutes behind the Finish gold medalist.
Winner Inkki Inola (FIN): “The feelings today are just great. It was a very hard track, but I enjoy the races here a lot! It was weird, that the race of the Para athletes was delayed, but luckily it didn’t affect me. I was just running around to keep myself warm. Today it is thankfully not a cold day, so I came to the start prepared. Today I also decided to not race with my guide because sprint is a very fast race, and the guide isn’t as important as in the long races. But also, he’s too slow for me on the sprint! (laughs).”
Men’s Sprint Classic Standing Final
The men’s standing final saw a showdown, that was early on decided, with Paralympian Silver-Medalist Marco Meier (GER) taking his second gold ahead of Garik Melkonyan of Armenia and Denis Zinov (KAZ). Meier said: “Classic is definitely not my specialty, so I’m really happy with my race. I tried to accelerate a little at the start because the first section is downhill and that suits me very well and then to find my pace. It’s really nice that these University Games are inclusive, it’s really something that we can compare ourselves with the non-para-athletes!”
Ski Mountaineering: France rules in Sestriere
The second evening of the Ski Mountaneering competitions in Sestriere was dedicated to the Mixed Relay, with 13 teams and 26 athletes competing in the qualifying stages, before leaving the track for the top 9 teams to fight for the FISU World University Games title. Without any major surprises, the gold medal went to France, who fielded Margot Ravinel, the newly-crowned World University Champions in the SMO sprint, together with Pablo Giner, already the individual silver medallist, who completed an incredible performance with a time of 42:45.86. With 2:34.16 separating them, the second step of the podium was taken by the Spanish pair of Maria Ordonez Cobacho (Individual Sprint silver medallist) and Marc Radua, who stopped the clock at 45:20.02, followed by the German pair of Sophia Kathrin Wessling and the sprint gold medallist, Finn Elias Hosh, with a time of 45:58.36.
The three pairs were then honoured on the Medal Plaza in Sestriere by Mayor Giovanni Poncet, where the French delegation sang the Marseillaise after the FISU anthem.
MARGOT RAVINEL (FRA) “We are proud for our school. It was the right time to share this medal, last night we both won an individual medal, but to be here on the podium together is even better. Pablo studies Political Science and I study Engineering.”
PABLO GINER (FRA) “We manage to combine our university careers with our sports careers quite well, of course there are times when it is more complicated, but these remain and by persevering we manage to enjoy both our activities”.
MARC RADUA (ESP): “It’s my first medal at the FISU Games and I’m very excited. Maria, my team mate, is fantastic and I’m happy to be here celebrating our first medal together.”
SOPHIA KATHRIN WESSLING (GER) “It’s my first time on the podium and it’s unbelievable, just unbelievable. It’s very hard to find a way to combine studying and sport and this means so much to me.
An Italian Bronze Medal at the Palavela
The Women’s Short Program was held today, with two Japanese women Chiba Mone (72.00) and Sumyoshi Rion (65.89) in the top three places. In second place after the first round qualifies Kazakhstan with Samodelnika Sofia (66.43).
In the Ice Dance final the gold went to the Spaniards Val Sofia/Kazimov Asaf with 172.77, the silver to the French Terreaux Lou/Perron Noe who finished with 168.60 points and the bronze to the Italians Giulia Isabella Paolino/Andrea Tuba who scored 166.85.
Sofia VAL and Asaf KAZIMOV Asaf said afterwards:
Val: (on the skate today) It felt really good we tried not to rush though our programme and enjoy every moment and think it worked. We are really happy
(on the next) We still have a couple of competitions to go this season and we want to go on and on a long term to keep going as a couple and reach higher and higher goals and keeping our performance and taking it slowly
Kazimov: (on the win) We feel amazing we haven’t been thinking about because we just wanted to perform well that wasn’t a goal so a lot of emotions. (on skating last) It’s always hard to go last – there is pressure but I think it’s a good experience overall.
Giulia Isabella PAOLINO and Andrea Tuba:
Paolino: (next competition) Egna trophy – an international competition. And then we don’t know yet. (on winning the medal in Italy) For me it’s very important. Last year we were 4th in the Junior Grand Prix, this year we were 4th again, so to medal was very important.
Tuba: (on the pressure being 2nd yesterday) It was very difficult for me to remain calm. I controlled my emotions the best I could because in this sport the state of mind is everything. Months and months of training and sacrifices that transfer into just 4 minutes and you have to give everything in these minutes, so you must be focused. I always say that 80% of the competition is decided by the strength of the nerves and being in the competition from the start till the end. Today we did a great job and were concentrated every second.
