Elian Paccagnella delivered a strong performance. © UCI / Thomas Maheux / SWpix.com

South Tyrol's first medal at the Mountain Bike World Championships

The local athletes entered the Mountain Bike World Championships in Valais, Switzerland, with slim medal chances. However, Elian Paccagnella delivered an outstanding performance on Thursday and played a key role in Italy winning silver in the mixed relay.

September 11, 2025

From: leo

Nadine Ellecosta (Enduro), Veronika Widmann (Downhill), and Fabian Rabensteiner and Sandra Mairhofer (both Marathon) missed out on medals in Valais. So the cross-country riders had to settle the matter. Because Greta Seiwald was not nominated for the World Championships, hopes rested on Elian Paccagnella. The 20-year-old from Bolzano delivered, snatching the silver medal for Italy. Juri Zanotti, Martina Berta, Elisa Ferri, Valentina Corvi, and Ettore Fabbro also celebrated, completing the six-person team.

Each nation was required to field one athlete per gender in the respective category: Junior, U23, and Elite. The order of the finish was left to the nations' discretion. Elite rider Juri Zanotti started the Azzurri race, immediately putting Italy in a good position and handing over the lead in second place behind the Swiss Finn Treudler. Paccagnella completed the second lap and beat the Swiss junior Lewin Itten by 34 seconds. Frenchman Lucas Teste also had to admit defeat to the South Tyrolean, but remained close.

It will be exciting

Italy's elite rider Martina Berta continued to slightly extend her lead over France until the third handover, but junior rider Elisa Ferri subsequently lost to French U23 rider Olivia Onesti. Although Valentina Corvi (U23) brought the Azzurri back into the lead before the handover, junior rider Ettore Fabbro, as expected, had no chance against Joshua Dubau (Elite). Nevertheless, he easily secured the silver medal.

The lead over the third-placed Swiss was 59 seconds, while the gap to the victorious French was 34 seconds. But Paccagnella's World Championships aren't over yet, as he still has the Olympic cross-country race scheduled for Saturday.