The 2026 World Orienteering Championships continued on Thursday in western Genoa, where the Knock-Out Sprint qualification began at 9 a.m.
Here the women were first to try to run in the top 12 in their respective heats to qualify for Friday’s quarter-finals in the WOC’s youngest discipline.
Today’s challenge was a technically demanding course in the hilly terrain that sloped down towards the arena, so the athletes were faced with constant route choice challenges and had to find the right narrow stairs on their way to the controls.
Tuesday’s sprint world champion Simona Aebersold (SUI), Hanna Lundberg (SWE) and Veera Klemettinen (FIN) managed it fastest in their respective heats.
Maelle Beauvir (FRA) in full focus on her way to a fifth place in women’s heat 1. Photo: Kristina Lindgren
In the men’s event, which started immediately after the women, Tuesday’s winner Kasper Fosser (NOR) was also the fastest in his heat, while the other heat victories went to sprint silver medallist Guilhem Verove (FRA) and Tomáš Křivda (CZE).
The reigning world champion in the discipline, Riccardo Rancan (SUI), has been plagued by injuries for months, but came through in fifth place in his heat.
Gabriel Lemos (BRA) taking on the stairs during Thursday’s KO Sprint qualification. Photo: Kristina Lindgren
On the other hand, the qualification was the last stop for European Champion August Mollén (SWE), 2024 WOC Finalist Alvaro Casado (ESP), Germany’s rising star Anselm Reichenbach and Ane Dyrkorn (NOR).
Shortly afterwards, the 72 fastest athletes in the arena chose their heat for tomorrow’s quarter-finals.
Hanna Lundberg (SWE) signals heat 6 during the heat selection after the qualification. Photo: Erling Thisted
Watch the free stream, results, GPS tracking, maps and photos in IOF LIVE
The first quarter final Friday begins at 13:00 CEST (UTC +2), and IOF TV’s exclusive broadcast begins five minutes earlier with English commentary by Katherine Bett and Jonas Merz.
The semi-finals and final broadcast begin at 14:50 and can be followed on IOF TV, SVT (SWE), NRK (NOR), Langrenn.com (NOR), YLE (FIN), SRG (SUI), ORF (AUT), CzTV (CZE) and SportTV (HUN)