Switzerland delivered a commanding team performance to win the Sprint Relay at the 2026 Junior World Orienteering Championships (JWOC) in Karlskrona on Tuesday, securing the nation’s first-ever junior world title in the discipline.
The quartet of Henriette Radzikowski, Loïc Berger, Matthieu Bührer and Leonie Mathis crossed the finish line after 52.51 minutes, finishing 25 seconds ahead of France, while Czechia claimed the bronze medal a further five seconds back.
A total of 75 teams lined up for the mixed relay in warm and sunny conditions. Photos: Filip Andersson
Following Monday’s individual sprint races, the athletes returned to the streets of Karlskrona for a course that combined the city centre with the historic island of Stumholmen. Ligesom i gårsdagens sprint, skabte artificial barriers og impassable walls udfordringer i udførelsen.
Strong French opening
France controlled the opening half of the relay, with Lucie Gaudion handing over in the lead after the first leg. Switzerland stayed within striking distance thanks to a composed opening run from Henriette Radzikowski, who handed over in second place. On the second leg, France maintained its advantage – now seven seconds ahead of Czechia and with Finland in third position.
The decisive move came on the third leg. Starting 30 seconds behind the leaders in fifth place, yesterday’s Sprint world champion Matthieu Bührer ran the fastest leg among the men, erased the deficit and sent Leonie Mathis onto the final leg with a seven-second lead.
Mathis, who won silver in Monday’s individual sprint, handled the pressure with maturity. She made no mistakes and extended the Swiss lead to a commanding 25 second win and a historic gold medal in the discipline, that was introduced at JWOC in 2022. Switzerland has never claimed a medal in the discipline before today.
Fanny Delahaye won the battle for silver for France, while the defending JWOC champions Czechia completed the podium in third. Finland finished fourth ahead of Australia, with Sweden taking sixth place.
Big smiles at the flower ceremony. Photo: Filip Andersson
The championships move into the forest on Wednesday for the Long distance race. The first start is at 9:00 CEST (UTC+2) and the close to six hours broadcast begin at 10:30 in IOF TV.
Leading results
1 Switzerland 52:51
2 France +0:25
3 Czech Republic +0:29
4 Finland +0:38
5 Australia +0:49
6 Sweden +1:27