Despite the challenging weather conditions, the competitions continue! On this seventh day of the Torino 2025 FISU Games, 10 podiums were awarded in six different disciplines, and the ski orienteering started in Pragelato.
Cross-country skiing: gold for Germany
Germany claimed gold in Pragelato for mixed team sprint free, in a thrilling showdown that saw constant shifts in leadership and tight battles all the way to the finish.
Germany 1 with Marius Bauer and Miriam Reisnecker emerged victorious with a time of 22:46.41, holding off late challenges from the French and Polish teams. Bauer mounted an incredible comeback in the final lap. His smooth skiing and tactical positioning in the last stretch sealed a hard-fought gold. Bauer shared his thoughts after the game: “I didn’t overthink the final lap. I just gave it everything I had to get as close to the podium as possible”.
France 2 with Félicie Chappaz and Hugo Serot delivered a strong performance, finishing just +2.95 seconds behind Germany at 22:49.36. Both athletes maintained consistent pacing and surged into contention during the final exchanges. Serot admitted that he was surprised after the competition: “I wasn’t even supposed to be here! I was a replacement for a replacement, so to come away with a medal is just amazing”.
Poland 1 with double-gold medalist Izabela Marcisz and Lukasz Gazurek finished at 22:51.50, just +5.09 seconds behind Germany. The fight for the bronze was closely contested, with their compatriots, Poland 2, crossing the line a mere +0.18 seconds later.
Spanish gold in men’s giant slalom
It was a snowy Sunday in Bardonecchia – Melezet, where 118 student-athletes gathered at the start of the Men’s Giant Slalom competition. Conditions worsened a little after the start of the first run, challenging the athletes to find speed. Thankfully, the weather improved a little for the second run, allowing for better visibility. The top prize went to Spain’s Aleix Aubert Serracanta, who claimed the gold medal at 2:02.72. The Swiss team celebrated a double podium in the Men’s Giant Slalom, with Loic Chable (silver medal) and Nick Spoerri (bronze medal). “Balancing my studies and sport isn’t easy, but so far, I think I’m doing a pretty good job. I hope to keep managing both well, and I’m aiming to compete in the FISU Games again in two years.”, declared Serracanta after his race.
Ski orienteering: sprint finals
The debut of ski orienteering at the 32nd FISU World University Games Winter brought a unique blend of speed, strategy, and navigation to the snow-covered trails. The men’s and women’s sprint finals delivered thrilling contests, with athletes showcasing their ability to combine skiing prowess with sharp decision-making under pressure.
Norway’s Teodor Mo Hjeldseth emerged victorious in the men’s race, clocking 12:52 to secure the gold medal. Hjeldseth overtook early leader Josef Nagy (CZE) in the second half of the race and maintained his lead to the finish. “I didn’t expect this to happen! Jonatan has beaten me 10 out of 10 times this year, so to come out on top today feels incredible.”, said Hjeldseth about his adversary. Jonatan Stahl (SWE) claimed silver, finishing just +2 seconds behind Hjeldseth with a time of 12:54. Stahl’s steady progression throughout the course, coupled with a strong final split, ensured his place on the podium. Josef Nagy (CZE) took bronze with a time of 13:03, falling +11 seconds behind the winner. Nagy started strongly, leading at the first checkpoint, but struggled to maintain his pace in the later stages.
In the women’s race, Amanda Yli-Futka (FIN) dominated the competition with a commanding performance, crossing the finish line in 12:39 to take gold. Yli-Futka set the pace from the very start, holding the lead at every checkpoint and finishing 36 seconds ahead of her closest rival. Norway’s Idunn Strand secured the silver medal in 13:15, overcoming a slow start that placed her 11th at the first checkpoint. “I started carefully to stay ahead in orienteering and avoid mistakes, and once I felt more comfortable, I was able to push harder and focus on my skiing. I think I managed to slow down at the right moments to make good decisions when things got tricky and then speed up when it was easier.”, commented the athlete. The bronze medal went to Delia Giezendanner (SUI), who finished in 13:22, +43 seconds behind Yli-Futka. Giezendanner’s fast start kept her in contention, but she lost time in the second half of the course.
Ski mountaineering closes in Sestriere with first Italian medal and a double French triumph
Ski mountaineering ended on Sunday, January 19th, with the men’s and women’s vertical races in Sestriere, in the Vialattea ski area. Nearly two kilometers to be covered uphill, with 315 meters of elevation gain: triumphing in both categories were two French skiers, Rémi Cantan for the men’s and Margot Revinel for the women’s. There is glory for Italy as well, thanks to the bronze medal won by Noemi Junod, the only athlete of the Italian delegation to stand on the podium of ski mountaineering at Torino 2025 FISU World University Games, and the first ever Italian to win in this discipline at the Universiade. “I did not expect to bring home three golds in these FISU Games, because in every race something can happen”, Revinel said. The French athlete concluded the 2.2-kilometer vertical race in 16:01.5, a result that placed her ahead of Spain’s Maria Ordonez Cobacho (16:04.3) and Italy’s Noemi Junod (16:16.8).
Also three silvers for Ordonez Cobacho, always on the second step of the podium in all Torino 2025 FISU ski mountaineering races: “In lieu of winning three silvers always behind Margot, I would have had nothing against winning a gold as well,” she joked. “But, joking aside, I did a good race in weather conditions – snowfall, fog – that I love, and I am very happy with second place”.
For Italian Noemi Junod, the bronze medal is worth a lot: “My gaze goes ahead, to next year’s Olympics: there will be time and I will think about it,” Junod said.
In the men’s vertical race, the gold instead went to Remi Cantan (13:22.5): “I am very happy with my race: although I didn’t get off to a very strong start, I managed to find myself always in front. I knew I was in good shape, but you always have to win a gold first.” Silver medal for Germany’s Felix Tobias Gramelsberger, and bronze medal for France’s Eliott Robin Saje.
After the races, the mayor of Sestriere, Gianni Poncet, awarded the athletes on the stage of the Medal Plaza. “Sestriere is back on the Universiade circuit after the edition hosted back in 1966,” he said, ”The night ski mountaineering competitions were truly impressive and put 50 athletes representing 13 nations committed to the Col along the slopes of Mount Sises and Alpette to the test. As a municipal administration we are really satisfied with the debut of Ski Mountaineering in Sestriere, a success achieved thanks to great teamwork.”. Thus ended the historic first week of ski mountaineering competitions at the Winter University Games, “Thank you Sestriere, thank you FISU, to sports director Ubaldo Pruker and thank you Vialattea. Especially to the Vialattea sports director, Gualtiero Brasso, and to all the staff of the race office who did their best to help us in the preparation and realization of the tracks here in Sestriere in a very special location, made even more magical by the night races,” commented Damiano Lenzi, competition manager of the aci mountaineering races of the Torino 2025 FISU Winter Games.
Finals day in snowboard Big Air: a delayed start amid challenging conditions
While yesterday’s training day saw perfect weather conditions, today proved to be far less forgiving. The dense morning fog lifted, but heavy snowfall continued to blanket the slopes, adding a layer of uncertainty to the day. Originally scheduled for 1:00 pm, the competition start time was pushed back to 1:30 pm to allow final preparations.
In the women’s category, the gold medal was won by Slovenia’s Tinkara Tanja Valcl with a total of 89.50 points. Holly Smith (GBR) won Silver today but fell in her second run. She said: “I’m happy, I am really happy. Considering a couple of days ago I was like Oh My God is this the end of my season? I was really sore, I’d been to hospital and was scared but coming out of the week I’ve been able to compete and get a medal, so am super happy.”. Amy Mccarthy (CAN), who started first, won the bronze medal. “I didn’t find the weather conditions a problem; I’m kind of used to it.”, declared the Canadian athlete.
In the men’s competition, Gold medallist Ryoji Fujiya (JPN) said he went from feeling very low after yesterday’s run to the top of the world today. Due to the weather, there were long delays with the start of their training and postponement of the competition for half an hour due to poor visibility. Fujiya said, “My strategy was to try to do my best trick in the first run. My local slope in Japan is very similar to Bardonecchia weather wise. So, it was no problem for me”. The silver medal was won by Noé Petit (FRA), who had already won a medal in Torino 2025 FISU Games. Moritz Wolfgang Breu (GER), placed third on the podium.
Freestyle & Freeski Big Air finals
The freestyle & freeski big air competitions took place in Bardonecchia Sellette in poor visibility, the fresh snow making things difficult for the athletes. The organisers worked very hard to ensure safety and there were several delays. The women’s first run was repeated since the snow conditions caused the athletes to have insufficient speed to make the jumps.
In the women’s category, the gold medal was won by Victoire Tillier (FRA). “I am so happy to win a second gold medal. It was really stressful because it was difficult to see and the snow was always changing and very slow. It was very stressful to do tricks in these conditions.”, declared the athlete. The silver went to Mariia Aniichyn (UKR), while Amélie Cancel (FRA) finished third.
Men’s gold medal went to Slovenia’s Klemen Vidmar, who said: “I must admit the conditions were difficult. You had to warm up every 5 minutes and stay focused all the time, which is very difficult, but with a strong mentality I think it is possible.”. The Ukranian, Oleh Boiko won the silver medal, followed by Marek Krcal (CZE) finished in third position.
