Showing superb skills on skis, Neutral Athlete Oleg Chetsikov claimed the 2025 Winter Triathlon World Championship title in Coge, Italy, after a powerful display on the snow. Second place was for the three-times world champion Hans Christian Tungesvik, while Marek Rauchfuss (CZE) had an impressive finish to grab the last spot on the podium. 

It was the local hero Franco Pesavento who decided to go hard from the start, knowing that his strengths lay in the run and bike segments, while the Neutral Athletes were, on paper, much faster on skis. With this in mind, the Italian pushed extremely hard in the first 2 km run, closely followed by Marin Gautier (FRA) and Jon Sæverås Breivold. The three of them were nearly 15 seconds ahead of the large chasing pack.

However, as soon as they were on their bikes, facing the first climbs on the snow, the AIN athletes began to showcase their power. Quickly, Oleg Chestikov, Pavel Andreev—seven-time Winter Triathlon World Champion—and Ivan Zalavtsev moved to the front of the race, along with another strong cyclist, Marek Rauchfuss (CZE).

Pesavento managed to hold off the charge from Chestikov on the bike, but once they were both on skis, the Neutral Athlete proved that he was the one to beat in that discipline. Chestikov pushed hard on the climbs, and his speed on the descents was impressive. The four Neutral Athletes battled for the top five positions after the ski segment, with Evgenii Baiborodov joining the mix after posting the fastest split in the first segment of cross-country skiing. But as soon as the athletes were back in their running shoes, Pesavento moved into first place again.

Pesavento and Chestikov played cat and mouse during the last 4 km of the bike segment. However, when they both reached the final transition, Pesavento looked exhausted, while Chestikov seemed to have found an extra gear for the last 4 km on skis. A remarkable performance on the second leg of the bike saw three-time Winter Triathlon World Champion Hans Christian Tungesvik move into second place, with Pesavento and Rauchfuss fighting for the final spot on the podium.

Once they were on skis for the last time, Chestikov never looked back, crossing the finish line in first place after earning a silver medal yesterday at the Winter Duathlon World Championships, clocking an impressive time of 58:18. Behind him, the Norwegian Tungesvik crossed the finish line with a smile, finishing second in a format that is shorter than in previous years and doesn’t suit a “diesel” athlete like him.

After an agonizing battle in the last kilometer on skis, the bronze medal was claimed by Rauchfuss, who has consistently been on the podium at the Winter Triathlon World Championships since 2022.

Fourth place went to Pesavento, while another Italian, Alessandro Saravalle, rounded out the top five.

In the U23 category, the gold medal was awarded to another Norwegian, Casper Rønning, who crossed the finish line almost two minutes ahead of the second and third place finishers, both Italians: Guglielmo Giuliano and Sebastian Davare.

The local crowds were delighted by the first victory of the day, as local athlete Jacopo Fanton claimed the title in the junior category of the Winter Triathlon World Championships after holding off the charge of Neutral Athlete Savelii Anisimov in the last segment on skis. The bronze medal went to another Italian, Nicholas Bellemo.