Simon Andreassen of the Orbea Fox Factory Team and Sina Frei of Specialized Factory Racing won the Short Track World Cup in Saalfelden Leogang in the Salzburg region. Both launched their decisive attacks on the final lap and made the most of the challenging conditions on the technically demanding course at Epic Bike Park. Rain, mud, and slippery descents made for challenging races all day long. In particular, a new rocky uphill section and a steep climb had a major impact on the race and repeatedly split the field.

In the Elite Men’s race, a frantic competition developed early on. Overall race leader Dario Lillo had to retire shortly after the start due to a broken chain. Mathis Azzaro missed his pedal at the start and had to fight his way back into the leading group. Jordan Sarrou also lost his chance at a top result after a crash. Luca Martin attempted to open a gap alongside Filippo Colombo, but crashed on a descent and had to catch up again.

Going into the final lap, ten riders still had realistic chances of victory. Simone Avondetto picked up the pace on the first climb and pulled slightly ahead with Andreassen. Shortly before the rocky section, however, Avondetto’s chain came off. Andreassen seized the opportunity immediately, rode away, and won with a six-second lead. Behind him, things remained chaotic. Martín Vidaurre crashed in the final corner and lost second place to Colombo. Martin recovered from his crash and still managed to finish third. Azzaro defended his lead in the overall standings with a tenth-place finish.

Elite Men Results

The race was also decided late in the Elite Women’s category. Sina Frei was part of a leading group with Jenny Rissveds, Alessandra Keller, and Jennifer Jackson. Former Short Track World Champion Evie Richards missed the race in Nové Město Na Moravě due to a concussion. The wet conditions made the race difficult early on. Puck Pieterse slipped in the very first corner and lost positions. The combination of an artificial stone field and steep climbs then led to a natural selection.

In the final laps, Keller increased the pressure, causing Jackson to fall behind. Rissveds attacked several times, but Frei stayed with her and found the best line through the rocky terrain on the final lap. She then accelerated on the last climb and mastered the descent to the finish with the fastest lap of the race. With the victory, the Swiss rider extended her lead in the Short Track Overall World Cup standings and heads into Sunday’s Olympic Cross Country race with a lot of momentum.

Elite Women Results

In the U23 Women’s category, Monique Halter of Thömus Akros Youngstars made a strong comeback after a break due to injury. The Swiss rider took advantage of the wet, technical descent to break away and secured her first Short Track World Cup victory with an eight-second lead over Bloeme Kalis. Katrin Embacher finished third. In the U23 Men’s category, Paul Schehl of the Lexware Mountainbike Team won. He controlled the race from the front for a long time, attacked on the final lap, and also won by a margin of six seconds. With this victory, he took the lead in the overall standings after three rounds.

U23 Women's Results

U23 Men's Results