Swiss Athletes Dominate Home European Championships; Schehl Wins Gold for Germany
With temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees, the opening day of the European Mountain Bike Championships at Monteceneri in the canton of Ticino turned into a Swiss medal bonanza. In the six short-track races, the host nation won two gold, four silver, and one bronze medal. On the second day of competition, the title in the mixed relay was added to the tally.
Frei Leads Swiss One-Two Finish
The elite women’s short-track race was dominated by the Swiss. Sina Frei broke away from the leading group in the final stretch and secured the European championship title after ten laps. Reigning world champion Alessandra Keller followed in second place, four seconds behind. Defending champion Jenny Rissveds of Sweden finished third.
Nicole Koller placed sixth, with Luisa Daubermann right behind her in seventh, securing the best result for Germany. Ginia Caluori finished eighth. The other German riders—Kira Böhm, Sina van Thiel, and Finja Lipp—finished in 12th, 13th, and 17th place, respectively. No Austrian riders competed in the elite race.
Lillo Wins Bronze in a Close Men’s Final
In the men’s elite race, the outcome wasn’t decided until the final meters. After ten laps, Britain’s Charlie Aldridge prevailed, finishing two seconds ahead of Italy’s Juri Zanotti. Dario Lillo secured the bronze medal for Switzerland, finishing three seconds behind.
Luca Schätti finished fifth after a race that remained wide open for a long time. Leon Kaiser was the top German finisher in tenth place, 14 seconds behind, while Julian Schelb did not finish the race. Local hero Filippo Colombo, returning from a fibula fracture, finished 13th.
Schehl Continues Germany’s Winning Streak
Paul Schehl delivered Germany’s biggest success. The 22-year-old launched an attack at the start of the final lap and won the U23 men’s short track race three seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Nicolas Halter. Bronze went to Sweden’s Leo Lounela.
Austria also had two riders finish in the top ten: Alexander Hammerle placed eighth, with Maks Alfred Barret Maunz following closely behind in ninth. No other German riders competed in this race.
In the women’s U23 race, Switzerland celebrated a one-two finish. Lea Huber won three seconds ahead of Elina Benoit, while Norway’s Lisa Kristine Jorde took third place. Katrin Embacher, finishing fifth, achieved one of Austria’s best results of the championships so far. Her compatriot Antonia Grangl placed 16th. The only German competitor, Carla Hahn, finished 21st.
Hückmann Takes Bronze, Piringer Finishes Seventh
In the junior category, France’s Noa Filippi won ahead of Switzerland’s Marwan Barhoumi. Elias Hückmann fought his way to the bronze medal, finishing three seconds behind the winner. Behind him, Germany demonstrated its team strength: Julius Klose finished fifth, Quirin Bach sixth, and Marlon Riess tenth. Austrians Michael Hettegger and Michael Ortner finished in eleventh and twelfth place.
The junior women’s race was won by Barbora Bukovska of the Czech Republic. Shana Huber won silver for Switzerland, while bronze went to Nikoletta Kiss of Hungary. Johanna Piringer was the top Austrian finisher, securing a strong seventh-place finish. The Germans Maxi Strittmatter and Rosalie Sporn finished in eleventh and twelfth place, respectively.
Swiss Relay Team Pulls Away from the Competition
On Friday, Switzerland also dominated the mixed relay. Nicolas Halter, Men Gygax, Ronja Blöchlinger, Anina Hutter, Anja Grossmann, and anchor Vital Albin took the lead early on and never relinquished it. Albin sealed the victory on his 28th birthday.
The Swiss sextet won with a time of 1:06:52 hours and a lead of 1:59 minutes over Italy. Denmark took bronze, 4:34 minutes behind. Contrary to the original report, Germany did not come away empty-handed; instead, they finished fourth, missing the podium by just 23 seconds. The German team consisted of Moritz Lindner, Quirin Bach, Luisa Daubermann, Adina Daubner, Rosalie Sporn, and Lennart-Jan Krayer. Austria did not field a relay team.
The European Championships run through Sunday. On Saturday, the cross-country races for junior men, junior women, and U23 men are scheduled. On Sunday, the U23 women’s race will take place, followed by the elite women’s and elite men’s races over the Olympic distance.
Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.