Finland and Japan Dominate Cross-Country Skiing Relays at Torino 2025 FISU World University Games

The women’s event kicked off at Pragelato Plan, where the Finnish team composed of Hanna Ray, Elsa Torvinen, Iida Vuollet, and Anni Lindroos secured victory with a time of 1:20:57.0 marking their first title of the Games in this discipline.

Finland dominated much of the race, only briefly losing the lead during the second exchange to Japan. The Japanese team, featuring Chika Honda, Takane Tochitani, Karen Hatakeyama, and Kaho Nakajima, ultimately finished with a silver medal time of 1:21:28.2. France secured bronze, with Felicie Chappaz, Manon Favre Bonvin, Julie Marciniak, and France Pignot finishing in 1:22:03.5.

Anni Lindroos, a 23-year-old student from Abo Akademi University, expressed her joy after the race saying “I am feeling really tired, but also happy. It’s amazing to win gold; that was our goal for today. It was hard to ski by myself and to keep a good pace all the way. It was tough, but the girls did an amazing job before me.”

In the men’s competition, Japan also claimed its first cross-country skiing gold of the week, thanks to the efforts of Sho Kasahara, Ikuya Takizawa, Daito Yamazaki, and Kanta Sakai, who completed the race in 1:08:45.9

Switzerland, represented by Nolan Gertsch, Silvan Durrer, Maxime Beguin, and Jan Faessler, finished strong in second place with a time of 1:09:06.8. Finland’s team, consisting of Topias Kemppi, Markus Kasanen, Eelis Valikainen, and Nico Bennert, rounded out the podium in third with a time of 1:09:20.9

The race was tightly contested, especially around the halfway mark, with Finland initially taking the lead after the second exchange. However, Daito Yamazaki made a significant impact during his leg, erasing the deficit and building a 40-second advantage for Kanta Sakai, who ultimately secured the win.

With one day of cross-country skiing left in Torino, Finland is leading the medal tally in the sport with a total of six medals. Athletes are now gearing up for the 20 km mass start classic races scheduled for January 23, promising more exciting action as the Games continue. Stay tuned for more updates.