The elite women's race starts with Puck Pieterse in the lead and Jolanda Neff in tow. However, the Dutchwoman soon had to cede the lead to the Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte, who now rode alone in front. Neff breaks away, but Alessandra Keller is able to stay in the chase. Surprisingly, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot is also behind the top 10, but it doesn't take long for the short track world champion to catch up, first in the top five, then on lap two she is hot on Lecomte's heels.

On the same lap, Ferrand-Prevot took the lead and immediately put some distance between herself and her colleague, initially a little, but then more and more clearly. The battle for bronze became tougher when Evie Richards (GBR) joined Keller and Pieterse on lap three. However, Keller kept pushing the pace and was able to distance herself slightly from her opponents on lap four. Behind her, however, the Austrian Mona Mitterwallner is catching up, while Richards falls behind her.

On the penultimate lap, Mitterwallner has closed the gap and is now hot on the heels of the Dutchwoman. Keller, who had previously been very active, gradually lost touch with the medal race. Meanwhile, Ferrand-Prevot goes into the final lap with a lead of over a minute on Lecomte. This did not change in the final kilometers and she doubled her lead after her short track victory. "I'm super happy that I was also able to defend this title. After my bad start, I just rode my pace, pushed uphill and didn't take any risks downhill, but was always able to recover well. Above all, I'm very proud of myself for not letting my bad start put me off," said Ferrand-Prevot, soberly analyzing her race.

Loana Lecomte is delighted with second place, while the most exciting race is taking place behind her. Mona Mitterwallner seems to be reaching for bronze. But Puck Pieterse turns the tables again and snatches the medal from the Austrian. Alessandra Keller finishes in fifth place after a spirited race. "At the moment, missing out on the medal still hurts a bit, but I just didn't have anything left. I had a very bad start and wasted a lot of energy catching up, which I didn't have at the end," says Mitterwallner.

Results

Caluori and Blöchlinger win silver and bronze

In the U23 women's race, New Zealand's Samara Maxwell sets the tone from the start. Swiss riders Ronja Blöchlinger and Noëlle Buri are also in the race, but not the co-favorite Sofie Pedersen. The Dane falls in the starting round, but fights her way back into the top 5, where Ginia Caluori is also positioned.

Maxwell increasingly extends her lead, with Blöchlinger still around 20 seconds behind in second place. Meanwhile, Caluori and Hungary's Kata Blanka Vas are already on course for a medal at the start of lap three. One lap later, the New Zealander has already doubled her lead and Caluori catches up with her compatriot Blöchlinger. Pedersen, however, falls behind again.

On lap five, the collaboration between the two Swiss riders comes to an end as Blöchlinger breaks away. Samara Maxwell, now one minute ahead, rides to the world title. "I still can't believe it," says Maxwell happily. "It was already my tactic to start fast, but then I was suddenly alone in front. After that, I kept up the pace. I had done without so many things during my preparation, so this gold medal means a lot to me. It's just unbelievably great."

Nothing changes behind them either. Ginia Caluori and Ronja Blöchlinger win the silver and bronze medals, 1.01 and 1.27 minutes behind. Noëlle Buri rounds off the strong Swiss team performance with sixth place.