Sina Frei wins cross-country gold at European Championships, Swiss double with Keller silver
Sina Frei added the cross-country European title to her short-track gold from Thursday, leading a Swiss one-two with Alessandra Keller at Monteceneri. Jenny Rissveds took bronze after an early mechanical.
Swiss double in elite cross-country
Sina Frei won the elite women's cross-country race at the European Mountain Bike Championships in Monteceneri on Sunday, completing a Swiss one-two with Alessandra Keller. The 29-year-old from Zurich, already the short-track champion from Thursday, claimed her first European title in the Olympic cross-country discipline. She covered the seven-lap, roughly 26-kilometre course in dominant fashion, crossing the line 1 minute 26 seconds ahead of Keller. The podium replicated the short-track result from earlier in the week, with Sweden's Jenny Rissveds taking bronze, 2 minutes 4 seconds behind Frei.
How the race unfolded
Ronja Blöchlinger set the early tempo alongside Rissveds, the reigning European champion and world champion. The decisive moment came in the second lap when Rissveds was slowed by a mechanical defect. Frei seized the opportunity, moved to the front and never relinquished the lead. Keller gradually worked her way up, joining Frei around the halfway point, and the two Swiss riders then pulled clear of the field. Frei extended her advantage lap by lap and started the final circuit with a cushion of nearly one minute. Keller defended second place comfortably, while Rissveds held on for bronze despite the early setback.
- Ronja Blöchlinger sets the early pace with Jenny Rissveds
- Rissveds suffers a mechanical defect; Sina Frei moves into the lead
- Alessandra Keller bridges to Frei and the Swiss duo breaks clear
- Frei enters the last lap with a one-minute cushion and wins by 1:26
Swiss depth on home soil
The host nation's dominance extended well beyond the podium. Nicole Koller finished fourth, 52 seconds behind Rissveds, while Blöchlinger recovered to sixth place, 4 minutes 39 seconds off the winning time. Ginia Caluori crossed seventh, putting five Swiss riders inside the top seven. The result underlined the strength of the Swiss women's programme on the final day of competition at the home championships.
Under-23 women sweep the podium
Earlier on Sunday morning, Swiss riders delivered a clean sweep in the under-23 women's race. Annina Hutter took gold by more than a minute over compatriots Fiona Schibler, who claimed silver, and Elina Benoit, who rounded out the podium in bronze. The triple success added to the medal haul for the host nation.
Men's race still to come
The men's elite cross-country race was scheduled for 16:10 CEST on the same Monteceneri course, with live coverage on SRF. The event marked the final competition of the championships.
