Jenny Risveds and Luca Schätti are the new European Short Track Champions

The European Mountain Bike Championship has started off with a bang in Melgaço, Portugal, with the Short Track (XCC) races, and it already has its first champions: Jenny Rissveds in the women's category and Swiss Luca Schätti in the men's category will wear the European jersey in all XCC races for the next 12 months.

Rissveds and Schätti crowned at the start of the 2025 European XCC

In the women's category, Jenny Rissveds has once again shone in a major international event by dominating the European Short Track with a time of 17:56. The Swedish rider launched her final attack which allowed her to cross the finish line three seconds ahead of a chasing trio that arrived practically together. Nicole Koller and Linda Indergand, both from Switzerland, made it to the podium with the same time (17:59), while Evie Richards finished fourth just one second behind. With this victory, Rissveds achieves her first major triumph of the season after a regular start in the World Cup and after having skipped the Swedish national championship the previous week.

1. Jenny Rissveds - Sweden - 00:17:56
2. Nicole Koller - Switzerland - 00:17:59
3. Linda Indergand - Switzerland - 00:17:59
4. Evie Richards - Great Britain - 00:17:59

In the men's race, the gold went to Luca Schätti, who narrowly beat his compatriot Thomas Litscher in a very tight finish. The young Swiss had already surprised weeks ago by becoming national champion in this discipline, and now confirms his great form by winning the continental title with a time of 18:17. Frenchman Adrien Boichis completed the podium in third place, while prominent names like Simon Andreassen (4th) or Luca Braidot (6th) just missed out.

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1. Luca Schätti - Switzerland - 00:18:17
2. Thomas Litscher - Switzerland - 00:18:20
3. Adrien Boichis - France - 00:18:21
4. Simon Andreassen - Denmark - 00:18:23
5. Dario Lillo - Switzerland - 00:18:23

With these first medals, Switzerland demonstrates its strength in Short Track and emerges as one of the top contenders also for the Team Relay and the XCO races of the weekend. Here you can check all the schedules.