Similar to the previous races, there is also a soloist at work in the men's race, and it is Victor Koretzky who forces his way into this position. The Frenchman takes Christopher Blevins on his rear wheel. Behind him, the chasers form up with the South African Alan Hatherly and the two Swiss riders Luca Schätti and Mathias Flückiger.

On the second lap, defending champion Alan Hatherly takes command. With an increase in speed, he pulls away from the competition and leaves no doubt about his ambitions, even if his lead even shrinks a little at times in the beginning. Behind him, a six-man chasing group struggled to catch up.

Lap after lap, Hatherly increased his lead and was not fazed by the cheers from the sidelines. His lead is so clear that he can already celebrate in the final lap without running the risk of being caught up.

Fight for the medals

The race for silver and bronze is more exciting. Mathias Flückiger, Luca Schätti, Luca Braidot, Simone Avondetto, Victor Koretzky and Simon Andreassen have formed up behind Hatherly. This group remained closed for large parts of the race, always within striking distance of each other, but without any real grip on the leader.

On the last lap, Schätti and Flückiger stepped up the pace, which only Avondetto was able to follow. And the latter ignites the counterattack in the final third, the two Swiss riders are unable to keep up. Short track world champion Koretzky smelled a rat, managed to catch up and went into the home straight with Flückiger and Schätti, where the Frenchman won the three-way battle.

"If someone had said before the race that I would be riding for the medals, I would have signed that immediately. Of course it's annoying when you're so close, but losing to Victor in the sprint is no disgrace. That's why I'm still very happy with fourth place," says Luca Schätti, adding: "That was probably the best 90 minutes of my life. It was such a great atmosphere, with the team on site, friends, family and all the fans. I'm sure that also helped me to reach my potential over the slightly longer race duration."

Mathias Flückiger needs a few minutes to digest the disappointment of the hoped-for medal and explains: "Today was a constant up and down. At times I felt great, then less so again. In terms of ranking, fifth place is of course disappointing, even if it is a good result. I pushed again on the last descent to gain a bit more of a lead and prevent the sprint with Victor. Unfortunately, it came down to the sprint, and he is simply stronger there."

With Filippo Colombo and Fabio Püntener in ninth and tenth place, four Swiss racers finished in the top 10, which is a success even without the precious metal.

Emotional start for Schurter

For Nino Schurter, the World Championship race is not an easy one. "I was already done before the start. During the warm-up, the movie about my career was shown and that was very emotional for me. I was in tears and it literally took my breath away," says Schurter, explaining why things didn't go to plan. Nevertheless, the record-breaking world champion does not give up on his last world championships and finishes the race in 42nd place. The fans honor this loudly and cheer Schurter on as if he were still in contention for victory. And Schurter also thanks the fans: "It's a nice circle for me. In 2003 I was able to compete in my first World Championships in Lugano, and today I'm back in Switzerland for my last. I really enjoyed being able to perform in front of a home crowd again, it was a mega atmosphere," says Nino Schurter, also thanking the fans for their loyalty over almost a quarter of a century. 

Results

Holmgren defends U23 title

Isabella Holmgren defends her world championship title in the women's U23 race in superior style. The Canadian pulled away early and won by over two minutes ahead of Vida Lopez de San Roman from the USA. Italy's Valentina Corvi came third. The Swiss riders impress with four top 10 places, Sina van Thiel from Germany makes it into the top 10.

Olivia Onesti dictates the start of the U23 race. The Frenchwoman breaks away with Lopez de San Roman, with Holmgren and Corvi slightly behind. While trying to hold Corvi and Holmgren, Monique Halter crashes and gradually loses ground. 

On the second lap, Holmgren closes the gap to the front. Halfway through the lap, the Canadian pulls away from the Frenchwoman and the American. Her lead grows quickly and is soon out of reach for her pursuers.

Meanwhile, four Swiss women form up at the back: Monique Halter, Lea Huber, Anina Hutter and Elina Benoit, while Onesti loses touch with Vida Lopez de San Roman. The positions seem to be set, but one lap before the end Olivia Onesti crashes hard and even drops out of the race.

Isabella Holmgren also completes the last lap confidently and rides to her second world title with a lead of 2:16 minutes. Vida Lopez de San Roman wins silver, Corvi takes third place after Onesti's retirement.

Although the medals are out of reach, the Swiss are still delighted with their strong performance. Anina Hutter, Elina Benoit and Lea Huber finished fourth to sixth, Monique Halter came eighth. The best German is Sina van Thiel in tenth place.

Results