A Decisive Attack in the Alps
Jenny Rissveds crossed the line in La Thuile with a single second in hand. On 3 July 2026, the Swede won the debut women's Short Track at the Italian World Cup, a race decided not by a sprint but by an attack held to the end. She accelerated on the last lap and this time maintained the effort for much of the final lap; Sina Frei was the only one able to stay relatively close, but she never managed to catch the Swede, who crossed the line with a second advantage. Savilia Blunk took third.
The setting shaped the story. La Thuile made its debut this year in the XCO and XCC calendar under ideal weather conditions. This was no ordinary Short Track. Making its cross-country hosting debut, La Thuile mixed things up with a course that was steeper and more technical than other short track courses on the circuit, leading to races that almost felt slow motion compared to what is usually seen in XCC. On a narrow alpine circuit, overtaking became the day's central problem.
Local rider Martina Berta lit the early pace. She wanted to take advantage of the crowd's support and took the lead in the opening stages, being the first through the initial technical descent, and from there the peloton began to stretch out on a narrow course where regaining positions proved particularly challenging. The day also carried a note of return elsewhere in the field. The race marked the comeback of Evie Richards after the concussion suffered in Nové Město.
Wearing Down the Field
As the laps passed, the shape of the race hardened. A group of favourites formed at the front, with Rissveds, Frei, Laura Stigger, Alessandra Keller, Blunk and Ronja Blöchlinger setting the pace. Then Rissveds began to test them. She launched several demanding pace changes that only Frei and Keller could follow. She did not break the group outright, but she did wear down her rivals before the finish. When the last lap came, only Frei could answer, and only for a while.
The win completes a run of form that has defined her season. The victory confirms Rissveds' form, having already secured XCO victories at Leogang and Lenzerheide, and she continues to establish herself as the leading reference in this World Cup. It was her first Short Track win of 2026, added to those cross-country results, and it tightened her grip on the overall standings across the four opening rounds.
The line matters because of the road behind it. Nine years ago, Rissveds, then 22 and in her first full season racing in the elite category, took Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, before expectation, depression and a long break from the sport followed. The burnout was well documented; so was the slow return. In La Thuile, on a new climb in the Alps, she rode away from the field and did not look back.
Some champions arrive once. Jenny Rissveds arrived twice.
