The 2026 Orienteering World Cup standings still have Simona Aebersold (SUI) and Tuomas Heikkilä (FIN) in the lead after an action-packed second round in Skara and Lidköping, Sweden, where athletes contested a Knock-Out Sprint, an individual Sprint and a Sprint Relay from Thursday to Sunday.
The weekend produced several standout performances. Denmark’s Hedvig Valbjørn Gydesen continued her breakthrough season by claiming her second Knock-Out Sprint victory of the year in Lidköping, while Norway’s Eirik Langedal Breivik secured his first-ever international World Cup Knock-Out Sprint win. Two days later, reigning World Cup champion Simona Aebersold of Switzerland and Norway’s Kasper Harlem Fosser delivered dominant victories in the individual Sprint in Skara. Norway then rounded off the weekend by taking yet another Sprint Relay victory.
Tuomas Heikkilä came second on Saturday’s Sprint in Skara and still lead the World Cup standings. Photo: Kristina Lindgren
Despite Fosser’s convincing sprint victory, Finland’s Tuomas Heikkilä remains at the top of the men’s overall World Cup standings after four individual races. Heikkilä leads with 330 points, Fosser is not far behind with 311 points, while his compatriot Breivik is third with 262 points. France’s Guilhem Verove sits fourth on 243 points after another consistent weekend and his first World Cup podium in the KO Sprint.
In the women’s competition, Aebersold strengthened her position at the top of the standings and has collected 360 points until now. The Swiss star arrived in Sweden as the World Cup leader after the opening round in Locarno and backed up that status with a commanding Sprint victory in Skara.
Hedvig Gydesen won Thursday’s KO Sprint and came fifth in the individual sprint on Saturday. Photo: Kristina Lindgren
However, her closest opponent for the title defense is now Hedvig Valbjørn Gydesen (DEN), who jumped to second place after her win and 5th place in Sweden. The Dane has 311 points. Pia Young Vik (NOR) is not far behind with 296 points, while Sanna Fasth (SWE) is fourth, having scored 279 points.
Norway also consolidated its position as the strongest sprint nation of the season. After winning the Sprint Relay in Locarno, the Norwegians repeated the feat in Skara, extending their advantage in the team standings and demonstrating impressive depth across both the men’s and women’s squads.
With two World Cup rounds completed, the focus now shifts from sprint racing to the upcoming forest races later this summer. The third round takes place in Czechia in August, while the World Cup final this year is held at the European Championships in Lithuania in September.