2 bronze medals, one big and one small disappointment
Two more World Championship medals! Monique Halter (Thömus maxon) and her brother Nicolas Halter (Thömus Akros Youngstars) each won bronze in the U23 category at the Cross-Country World Championships in Val di Sole. In the elite category, however, the hoped-for medal failed to materialize—a particularly bitter disappointment for Alessandra Keller due to a technical problem.
What a way to cap off an outstanding World Championships for Monique and Nicolas Halter: The two siblings each secured a bronze medal in the U23 cross-country event. Following their gold medal win in the short track (XCC), this marks their second medal of these World Championships. Two siblings, two gold medals in the short track, and now two bronze medals in cross-country—an extraordinary achievement and the crowning glory of a magnificent World Championships.
Alessandra Keller: Out of the running after a technical problem
Alessandra Keller started the cross-country race with high hopes. After her bad luck in the XCC, the last year’s XCC world champion was determined to make the most of her second chance in Val di Sole. She got off to a perfect start—but suffered a setback on the very first descent.
A technical problem with her chain forced Keller to stop and set her far back in the field. However, Keller once again demonstrated great fighting spirit: Instead of giving up, she fought her way back position by position and was back on track toward the top 10. But halfway through the race, Keller had to stop again in the tech zone.
That put an end to any hopes of a top finish. It was a huge disappointment for Keller: “The race was a disaster. My physical performance was really good. I had a great start. But the stops in the tech zone ruined everything. Finishing 13th doesn’t matter at all. I came here for a medal, and I’m really, really disappointed.”
Flückiger fights hard but can’t find his best form
In the men’s race, Mathias Flückiger started out hoping for a top finish and with long-shot chances. The Bern native got off to a good start and was among the top 10 early on.
As the race progressed, however, Flückiger was unable to work his way further up the field. In the final third of the race, he lost ground steadily and ultimately had to settle for 20th place—a result that fell well short of expectations.
The World Championship race also did not go as planned for Vital Albin. He was unable to reach his usual level of performance and failed to meet his expectations on this day. In the end, Albin finished in 41st place.