World of O News
Tino Polsini (SUI) and Hanna Lundberg (SWE) took the victories in Friday’s invidual sprint, while Norway won Saturday’s sprint relay ahead of Sweden and Switzerland. The weekend finished off with the Knock-Out Sprint on Sunday, where Kasper Harlem Fosser (NOR) and Hedvig Valbjorn Gydesen (DEN) took the victories.
For Polsini, the new season started as the last one ended: with a win in the individual sprint. The Knock-Out Sprint winner from the World Cup Final in Uster narrowly beat Tomas Krivda (CZE) by one second, while Yannick Michiels (BEL) took third 14 seconds behind. In the women’s race, Lundberg was clearly the strongest and won by a margin of 20 seconds. European champion Pia Young Vik (NOR) came in second, while Simona Aebersold (SUI) moved into the top 3 on the last part of the course, six seconds further behind.
Norway delivered a surprisingly dominant performance in the sprint relay, with a 45-second winning margin. Eirik Langedal Breivik put Norway in front on the second leg, and the team of Benjaminsen, Breivik, Fosser and Young Vik never looked back. Sweden finished second, while Switzerland’s Simona Aebersold had a great anchor leg and brought Switzerland from 6th position up to 3rd best country.
The Knock-Out Sprint finals provided the weekend’s closest races. In the men’s final, Fosser beat Tuomas Heikkila (FIN) by just 0.4 seconds. Fosser’s victory was briefly under review by the jury over whether he incorrectly passed a wall at a hedge, but the result was in the end confirmed. Individual sprint winner Polsini was eliminated in the semifinal after a costly route choice. “When I saw how bad my route choice was, it was like a punch in the face,” Polsini said afterwards. In the women’s final, it came down to a three-way fight between Gydesen, Aebersold and Maija Sianoja (FIN). Aebersold led from early on, but Gydesen’s plan to sit behind and attack on the final sprint worked perfectly, overtaking Aebersold on the run-in to win by just 0.3 seconds. It was Gydesen’s first World Cup victory – and actually also her first Knock-Out sprint final.
Split-time graphs individual races
Men Individual Sprint
Women
Individual Sprint
Men Knock-Out Sprint Final
Women Knock-Out Sprint Final
Maps and GPS-tracking
Individual Sprint
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Men
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Women
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
Sprint Relay
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Relay Leg 1
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Relay Leg 2
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Relay Leg 3
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Sprint Relay Leg 4
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
Knock-Out Sprint
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Finals Men
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Finals Women
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Semi Finals Men
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Semi Finals Women
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Quarter Finals Men
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
WC 2026 Locarno - Knock-Out Quarter Finals Women
» See map in omaps.worldofo.com
Results
Individual Sprint
Men
| 1 | Tino Polsini | SUI | 13:44 | ||
| 2 | Tomas Krivda | CZE | 13:45 | +0:01 | |
| 3 | Yannick Michiels | BEL | 13:58 | +0:14 | |
| 4 | Tuomas Heikkila | FIN | 14:07 | +0:23 | |
| 5 | Zoltan Bujdoso | HUN | 14:10 | +0:26 | |
| 6 | Isac von Krusenstierna | SWE | 14:13 | +0:29 | |
| 7 | Francesco Mariani | ITA | 14:14 | +0:30 | |
| 8 | Benjamin Wey | SUI | 14:19 | +0:35 | |
| 9 | Teemu Oksanen | FIN | 14:27 | +0:43 | |
| 10 | Mathias Barros Vallet | FRA | 14:32 | +0:48 | |
| 11 | Kasper Harlem Fosser | NOR | 14:36 | +0:52 | |
| 12 | Eirik Langedal Breivik | NOR | 14:37 | +0:53 | |
| 13 | Peter Molloy | GBR | 14:42 | +0:58 | |
| 13 | Guilhem Verove | FRA | 14:42 | +0:58 | |
| 15 | Lukas Novak | AUT | 14:43 | +0:59 | |
| 15 | Daniel Hubmann | SUI | 14:43 | +0:59 | |
| 17 | Adrien Delenne | FRA | 14:47 | +1:03 | |
| 17 | Emil Svensk | SWE | 14:47 | +1:03 | |
| 19 | Havard Sandstad Eidsmo | NOR | 14:48 | +1:04 | |
| 20 | Aaro Aho | FIN | 14:50 | +1:06 | |
| 20 | Gustav Runefors | SWE | 14:50 | +1:06 | |
| 20 | Timo Suter | SUI | 14:50 | +1:06 |
Women
| 1 | Hanna Lundberg | SWE | 15:15 | |
| 2 | Pia Young Vik | NOR | 15:35 | +0:20 |
| 3 | Simona Aebersold | SUI | 15:41 | +0:26 |
| 4 | Tereza Rauturier | CZE | 15:43 | +0:28 |
| 5 | Natalia Gemperle | SUI | 15:51 | +0:36 |
| 6 | Andrine Benjaminsen | NOR | 15:52 | +0:37 |
| 7 | Sanna Fast | SWE | 16:00 | +0:45 |
| 7 | Cecile Calandry | FRA | 16:00 | +0:45 |
| 9 | Veera Klemettinen | FIN | 16:02 | +0:47 |
| 10 | Victoria Haestad Bjornstad | NOR | 16:04 | +0:49 |
| 11 | Ida Agervig Kristiansson | DEN | 16:05 | +0:50 |
| 12 | Paula Gross | SUI | 16:06 | +0:51 |
| 13 | Malin Agervig Kristiansson | DEN | 16:07 | +0:52 |
| 14 | Inka Nurminen | FIN | 16:11 | +0:56 |
| 15 | Hedvig Valbjorn Gydesen | DEN | 16:14 | +0:59 |
| 16 | Hanne Hilo | FIN | 16:18 | +1:03 |
| 17 | Rita Maramarosi | HUN | 16:21 | +1:06 |
| 18 | Alva Sonesson | SWE | 16:24 | +1:09 |
| 19 | Csilla Gardonyi | HUN | 16:26 | +1:11 |
| 20 | Grace Molloy | GBR | 16:29 | +1:14 |
Sprint Relay
| 1 | Norway 1 | 53:22 | |||||||
| Andrine Benjaminsen | 13:35 | 3 | +0:09 | 13:35 | 3 | +0:09 | |||
| Eirik Langedal Breivik | 13:23 | 1 | 26:58 | 1 | -2 | -0:09 | |||
| Kasper Harlem Fosser | 13:07 | 2 | +0:10 | 40:05 | 1 | 0 | 0:00 | ||
| Pia Young Vik | 13:17 | 3 | +0:03 | 53:22 | 1 | 0 | 0:00 | ||
| 2 | Sweden 1 | 54:07 | +0:45 | ||||||
| Hanna Lundberg | 13:31 | 2 | +0:05 | 13:31 | 2 | +0:05 | |||
| Emil Svensk | 13:48 | 15 | +0:25 | 27:19 | 5 | +3 | +0:21 | +0:16 | |
| Isac von Krusenstierna | 13:20 | 4 | +0:23 | 40:39 | 5 | 0 | +0:34 | +0:13 | |
| Sanna Fast | 13:28 | 5 | +0:14 | 54:07 | 2 | -3 | +0:45 | +0:11 | |
| 3 | Switzerland 1 | 54:23 | +1:01 | ||||||
| Natalia Gemperle | 13:41 | 7 | +0:15 | 13:41 | 7 | +0:15 | |||
| Timo Suter | 13:25 | 2 | +0:02 | 27:06 | 2 | -5 | +0:08 | -0:07 | |
| Fabian Aebersold | 14:03 | 16 | +1:06 | 41:09 | 6 | +4 | +1:04 | +0:56 | |
| Simona Aebersold | 13:14 | 1 | 54:23 | 4 | -2 | +1:01 | -0:03 | ||
| 4 | France 1 | 54:25 | +1:03 | ||||||
| Maelle Beauvir | 13:39 | 6 | +0:13 | 13:39 | 6 | +0:13 | |||
| Adrien Delenne | 13:29 | 4 | +0:06 | 27:08 | 3 | -3 | +0:10 | -0:03 | |
| Mathias Barros Vallet | 13:22 | 5 | +0:25 | 40:30 | 3 | 0 | +0:25 | +0:15 | |
| Cecile Calandry | 13:55 | 12 | +0:41 | 54:25 | 5 | +2 | +1:03 | +0:38 | |
| 5 | Finland 1 | 54:43 | +1:21 | ||||||
| Veera Klemettinen | 13:43 | 8 | +0:17 | 13:43 | 8 | +0:17 | |||
| Teemu Oksanen | 13:50 | 18 | +0:27 | 27:33 | 6 | -2 | +0:35 | +0:18 | |
| Tuomas Heikkila | 12:57 | 1 | 40:30 | 3 | -3 | +0:25 | -0:10 | ||
| Inka Nurminen | 14:13 | 19 | +0:59 | 54:43 | 6 | +3 | +1:21 | +0:56 | |
| 6 | Czechia 1 | 55:16 | +1:54 | ||||||
| Jana Pekarova | 14:23 | 17 | +0:57 | 14:23 | 17 | +0:57 | |||
| Jakub Glonek | 13:45 | 14 | +0:22 | 28:08 | 15 | -2 | +1:10 | +0:13 | |
| Tomas Krivda | 13:24 | 6 | +0:27 | 41:32 | 8 | -7 | +1:27 | +0:17 | |
| Tereza Rauturier | 13:44 | 8 | +0:30 | 55:16 | 8 | 0 | +1:54 | +0:27 | |
| 7 | Denmark 1 | 55:45 | +2:23 | ||||||
| Ida Agervig Kristiansson | 14:22 | 16 | +0:56 | 14:22 | 16 | +0:56 | |||
| Andreas Bock Bjoernsen | 13:41 | 11 | +0:18 | 28:03 | 12 | -4 | +1:05 | +0:09 | |
| Niels Dalgaard | 14:27 | 25 | +1:30 | 42:30 | 19 | +7 | +2:25 | +1:20 | |
| Malin Agervig Kristiansson | 13:15 | 2 | +0:01 | 55:45 | 11 | -8 | +2:23 | -0:02 | |
| 8 | Spain 1 | 56:24 | +3:02 | ||||||
| Ana Isabel Toledo | 13:46 | 10 | +0:20 | 13:46 | 10 | +0:20 | |||
| Alvaro Casado | 13:54 | 22 | +0:31 | 27:40 | 8 | -2 | +0:42 | +0:22 | |
| David Rojas | 14:19 | 20 | +1:22 | 41:59 | 12 | +4 | +1:54 | +1:12 | |
| Maria Prieto | 14:25 | 23 | +1:11 | 56:24 | 15 | +3 | +3:02 | +1:08 | |
| 9 | Poland 1 | 56:58 | +3:36 | ||||||
| Agata Olejnik | 14:37 | 33 | +1:11 | 14:37 | 33 | +1:11 | |||
| Piotr Parfianowicz | 14:14 | 29 | +0:51 | 28:51 | 26 | -7 | +1:53 | +0:42 | |
| Michal Olejnik | 13:58 | 14 | +1:01 | 42:49 | 21 | -5 | +2:44 | +0:51 | |
| Aleksandra Hornik | 14:09 | 15 | +0:55 | 56:58 | 20 | -1 | +3:36 | +0:52 | |
| 10 | Austria 1 | 57:38 | +4:16 | ||||||
| Anna Groell | 14:30 | 26 | +1:04 | 14:30 | 26 | +1:04 | |||
| Lukas Novak | 13:49 | 17 | +0:26 | 28:19 | 24 | -2 | +1:21 | +0:17 | |
| Georg Groell | 14:55 | 31 | +1:58 | 43:14 | 28 | +4 | +3:09 | +1:48 | |
| Ylvi Kastner | 14:24 | 21 | +1:10 | 57:38 | 25 | -3 | +4:16 | +1:07 |
- Full results World Cup – see also full results all teams
Knock-Out Sprint
Men
| 1 | Kasper Harlem Fosser |
07:09.6
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| 2 | Tuomas Heikkila |
07:10.0
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| 3 | Eirik Langedal Breivik |
07:39.7
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| 4 | Guilhem Verove |
07:44.3
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| 5 | Isac von Krusenstierna |
08:18.2
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| 6 | Axel Granqvist |
09:24.2
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Women
| 1 | Hedvig Valbjorn Gydesen |
08:33.4
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| 2 | Simona Aebersold |
08:33.7
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| 3 | Maija Sianoja |
08:34.9
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| 4 | Victoria Haestad Bjornstad |
08:48.4
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| 5 | Pia Young Vik |
09:30.0
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| 6 | Malin Agervig Kristiansson |
09:32.4
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Kasper Fossers win in the KO-sprint just doesn’t sit right with me. His violation of the rules was caught on live camera for everybody to see. He could have backed off from wall he jumped on to, and could have run around, like Heikkila, to save the situation. But he fulfilled the sequence with breaching 2 rules in one go – passing dark green and a broad black wall marking…and winning time on that action.
How is that not a disqualification?
Am I the only one to wonder if CITY orienteering is really the sport we enjoy? For me, orienteering is a sport in nature and often off trail, so in wild nature. City orienteering might be fun, for some, from time to time, but should it really represent 50% of the international season? Even tough the competitions in Locarno were really well organized, such orienteering has its limits (running at 20km/h in tight street corners and dangerously punching cars, people and other athletes, as we saw on TV, following others and making smart tactical but no technical decisions in KO sprint, …). The IOF seems to have the same tactic as ski mountaineering at the Olympics: spectacular but not the sport we love. I respect athletes who chose to compete in trail running or forest orienteering instead. Anyway, speaking about the media, I think it’s more fun to broadcast an interesting long distance (or even sprint) forest competition than a city sprint. Why do millions of people watch Tour de France stages live on TV for 5 hours?
All I want to say is that there are also quite a few people who prefer urban/sprint orienteering over forest orienteering.
Of course, there are differences between the two. But based on the people around me who enjoy this sport, at least two-thirds of them actually like both. And you cannot deny that urban/sprint O is faster-paced and easier to understand, which gives it a bit more spectator appeal than forest O (especially for people who are not familiar with the sport). That also makes it easier for it to grow and become more popular.
At the same time, running in forests can be dangerous as well. You might encounter animals or insects, and the risk of injury is generally higher.
So for me, I like both. With good organization and good course design, both formats can be very enjoyable.
(And I have to say, last year’s OWC in Uster was really impressive. Best KO I’ve seen.)