Dominik Zuech was eliminated in the round of 16. © Pentaphoto

Dominik Zuech was denied a surprise.

Dominik Zuech had made a splash in qualifying in Veysonnaz (Switzerland), but the hoped-for coup failed to materialize in the first race on Friday.

23 January 2026

From: leo

The Ski Cross World Cup continued on Friday in Veysonnaz, Switzerland, exactly one month after the last race in Innichen. Zuech aimed for a top-10 finish – as he had at the home race before Christmas – after placing ninth and 22nd in the two qualifying rounds. However, he fell short, finishing in 19th place.

Zuech got off to a poor start in his round of 2 race and subsequently failed to finish in the top two. His two teammates, Federico Tomasoni (24th) and Edoardo Zorzi (23rd), suffered the same fate. Yanick Gunsch, like Italy's ski cross star Simone Deromedis, did not qualify for the finals.

Näslund is in a class of its own

The victory went to Frenchman Youri Duplessis-Kergomard, who reached the podium for the second time this winter. It was the 29-year-old's fourth World Cup win overall. He had already triumphed in Veysonnaz last season. Reece Howden (Canada) and Switzerland's Tobias Baur also finished on the podium.

In the women's race, Sweden's Sandra Näslund celebrated her fifth victory of the season. Germany's Daniela Maier and Austria's Katrin Ofner finished behind her. Jole Galli was the best Italian, finishing seventh.