The men’s 10 km classic title at the 2026 FIS Roller Ski World Championships in Madona, Latvia, went to Norway’s Andreas Bergsland on Thursday. He pulled clear of the field to win by 45.7 seconds, becoming world champion on the opening day of the four-day meet.
Norway takes the top two steps
The 25-year-old from Trøsken IL was strongest from start to finish in the interval-start race. His compatriot Amund August Korsaeth finished second, also well ahead of the chasing pack, while Germany’s Thomas Bing rounded out the podium a further 7.6 seconds back.
Bergsland crossed the line in 23:11.4. The Norwegian one-two left no doubt about which nation set the pace on the Madona course as the championships got under way.
A margin that told the whole story
No mid-race duel shaped the outcome. Bergsland was a cut above the rest from the moment the clock started, and the gap grew steadily against a field of established international rollerskiers. The final 45.7-second cushion was the largest of the senior races that afternoon.
In the companion women’s 10 km classic, Ragnhild Aarekol also brought gold home to Norway, completing a clean sweep of the classic individual titles on day one. Her winning time was 27:27.9, with Poland’s Aleksandra Kolodziej second at three seconds back.
A world title built over two seasons
Bergsland had already tested the Madona tracks at the 2024 Roller Skiing World Cup, where he placed sixth in a masters distance race. That experience on Latvian terrain, paired with steady progress in the classic technique, laid the ground for Thursday’s commanding performance.
The championships continued on Friday with the team sprint in skating style, but the day belonged to Bergsland. A young Norwegian, already a world champion, left the rest of the field chasing more than three-quarters of a minute behind.
