The 2026 Swiss Downhill Champions are Yannick Baechler and Lisa Baumann. At their home race in Verbier, the two Swiss riders prevailed in the Elite category, capping off a weekend in which they had already set the pace. Around 250 riders from 25 nations had traveled to the Valais for the sixth round of the iXS European Downhill Cup.

The course really put them to the test. Over 2.8 kilometers and approximately 430 meters of elevation gain, technical sections, jumps, and fast stretches alternated. After a cool start on Friday, conditions over the weekend were dry and fast.

Baechler and Baumann Claim the Titles

In the Elite Men’s category, Yannick Baechler had already emerged as the fastest rider in the seeding round. In the final, the 25-year-old stepped it up even further. With a time of 3:58.012 minutes, he stayed under the four-minute mark and secured not only the Swiss championship title but also victory in the European Cup.

Baechler edged out France’s Johan Garcin by 0.978 seconds to take second place. Antoine Rogge, also from France, rounded out the podium, 3.323 seconds behind. Marius Krähenbühl was the second-best Swiss finisher in seventh place, followed by Fridolin Amiguet in ninth.

Lisa Baumann also delivered a flawless performance in front of her home crowd. The newly crowned world silver medalist posted the fastest time among the elite women with a run of 4:32.260 minutes, thereby claiming the Swiss national title and the European Cup victory. Austria’s Kerstin Sallegger finished 9.679 seconds behind, while Elise Porta of France took third place.

Baumann thus confirmed her strong form following the World Championships in Val di Sole, where she had won silver. In Verbier, Nina Vogelsanger was the second-best Swiss rider, finishing eighth.

Swiss Youth Team Strikes

There were also Swiss successes in the youth categories. Noé Forlin won the men’s U19 category in 4:01.224 minutes ahead of Nathan De Vaux and Elliot Smith. In the U19 women’s category, Gianna Nef was in a class of her own. The Swiss rider won in 4:34.400 minutes, finishing more than twelve seconds ahead of Shahar Yehuda of Israel.

The fastest riders of the weekend, however, came from an even younger category. France’s Juliano Lavergne won the U17 division with a time of 3:57.530 minutes. He was nearly half a second faster than elite winner Baechler. His compatriot Quentin Gabriel Barbe was just 0.335 seconds behind Lavergne. Anton Zierl from Austria finished third.

Thus, Verbier became not only a stage for the new Swiss champions but also a showcase for a generation of downhill riders who are already clocking times at the elite level.

Results