Staudenmann wins Schwägalp-Schwinget for fifth consecutive Kranzfest as Bern wrestlers dominate

Staudenmann dominates on the Schwägalp

Fabian Staudenmann, the 26-year-old from Guggisberg, won the 26th edition of the Schwägalp-Schwinget on 16 August 2026, defeating his Bern cantonal colleague Lars Zaugg in the final round. The bout lasted mere seconds, with sources varying between four and eleven seconds, as Staudenmann executed a short throw that sent Zaugg into the sawdust. It was his 12th victory in 12 career duels with Zaugg and his sixth win in six bouts on the day. The triumph also made Staudenmann the first wrestler from outside Nordostschweiz to win the Schwägalp Bergkranzfest twice, having previously won in 2024 as co-winner.

The victory extends Staudenmann's run to five consecutive Kranzfest wins and six festival victories overall this season. He was last beaten at a festival at the Nordostschweizer Schwingfest in late June. Three weeks before the Kilchberg-Schwinget, the season's highlight, Staudenmann has established himself as the clear favourite.

Bern dominance and Nordostschweiz debacle

The Bern cantonal wrestling association delivered what SRF News called a "veritables Debakel" for the Nordostschweiz hosts. After five rounds, four Bern wrestlers shared the top of the rankings, even though they had to take points from each other. By the end of the competition, Bern wrestlers occupied seven of the top nine places. Michael Moser finished second after defeating Michael Ledermann in the sixth round, while Zaugg took third.

Armon Orlik, the 31-year-old Schwingerkönig from Graubünden, was the best-placed local. He won four of his six bouts but lost to Dominik Gasser before the lunch break and to Moser in the fifth round. He never received the maximum score and finished in a shared fourth place, with Josias Müller and Damian Ott in fifth.

Injury concerns for the Nordostschweiz

The hosts' problems deepened with injuries to key wrestlers. Werner Schlegel, the St. Gallen local favourite, started the tournament with a loss to Staudenmann in the first round, then won two bouts and drew one against Zaugg. After the fourth round, Schlegel withdrew from the competition due to injury. He had been returning from a medial ligament injury sustained at the Brünig. Samuel Giger, the defending co-champion from 2025, had already withdrawn before the weekend due to a shoulder injury he has been carrying since early June. Marcel Räbsamen, the other 2025 co-champion, tore his cruciate ligament in May and was present only as a support person.

Alpiger wins in Mümliswil

At the Nordwestschweizer Schwingfest in Mümliswil, held the same day, Nick Alpiger claimed his first Teilverbandsfest victory. Alpiger defeated Lars Voggensperger in the final round after eight and a half minutes. It was an emotional moment for Alpiger, who had twice before reached the NWS final.

It's great. I've been training with Lars for a while. He's such a machine, such a fighter. I have to thank the Binningen wrestling club for taking me in. What I was able to show today is also because of you. I always have hard fights with Lars, usually he wins. This time I thought all or nothing and could win.

Staudenmann's reaction

After the final, Staudenmann reflected on his achievement and the brevity of the bout.

It is very cool and means a lot to me. I knew a draw would be enough. But I saw how Lars wrestled today, very strong, a huge compliment. On the first grip I felt comfortable and thought, nothing ventured nothing gained. You suffer a bit less when it's over so quickly. I don't like the feeling before and during the final round, so I'm glad it didn't last so long.

When told he was the first non-Nordostschweizer to win the Schwägalp twice, he said:

I didn't know that, but that's of course very cool, also with the stone where the name goes on. That means a lot to me.