Koretzky made a comeback on the last lap and beat Blevins to win the XCC World Championship at the finish line

The elite men's final of the 2025 Short Track World Championship (XCC) was resolved in a thrilling final lap, after a tactical, tense race full of movements that didn't break the pack. Victor Koretzky took the rainbow jersey in a memorable final sprint, where he managed to reach and surpass the American Christopher Blevins, who had launched an explosive attack at the bell of the last lap.

Victor Koretzky retains the XCC World Champion title

The race started with slightly damp terrain after the recent rains, and with the memory still fresh of the falls in the women's final. The Dane Simon Andreassen took the lead in the first corner, followed by Sebastian Fini, Martin Vidaurre, Mathis Azzaro, and Samuel Gaze, in a clean but intense start.

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As the laps went by, riders like Victor Koretzky and Christopher Blevins began to gain positions until they were among the first. Despite the high pace, the front group didn't break away. With four laps to go, a dozen riders still had chances: Gaze, Andreassen, Azzaro, De Froidmont, Ulloa, Braidot, Forster, and even Filippo Colombo, who was making a comeback from behind.

Everything was decided on the last lap, when Blevins launched a brutal attack that dropped several rivals. He seemed to have the race in his hands, but then Victor Koretzky emerged, reacting powerfully to close the gap in the last section of the track.

In the final straight, the Frenchman caught up to the American and surpassed him in a short but forceful sprint, retaining the XCC World Champion title.

Christopher Blevins, who had bet everything on the attack, finished second with the contained rage of someone who had come so close. The Frenchman Mathis Azarro completed the podium after a great comeback.

Complete Classification - Elite Men's XCC World Championship

1. Victor Koretzky - France
2. Christopher Blevins - United States
3. Mathis Azzaro - France
4. Simon Andreassen - Denmark
5. Samuel Gaze - New Zealand
6. Filippo Colombo - Switzerland
7. Luca Braidot - Italy
8. Maximilian Brandl - Germany
9. Simone Avondetto - Italy
10. Jens Schuermans - Belgium
11. Knut Rohme - Norway
12. Julian Schelb - Germany
13. Tobias Lillelund - Denmark
14. Leon Kaiser - Germany
15. Joshua Dubau - France
16. Vital Albin - Switzerland
17. Luca Schwarzbauer - Germany
18. Lars Forster - Switzerland
19. Luca Schätti - Switzerland
20. Fabio Püntener - Switzerland
21. Erik Hægstad - Norway
22. Pierre de Froidmont - Belgium
23. Filippo Fontana - Italy
24. Jose Gerardo Ulloa - Mexico
25. Tyler Orschel - Canada
26. Carter Woods - Canada
27. Riley Amos - United States
28. Krzysztof Lukasik - Poland
29. Alex Malacarne - Brazil
30. Anton Cooper - New Zealand
31. Luke Moir - South Africa
32. Alan Hatherly - South Africa
33. Martin Vidaurre Kossmann - Chile
34. Martins Blums - Latvia
35. Bjorn Riley - United States
36. Gustavo Xavier de Oliveira Pereira - Brazil
37. Roberto Ferreira - Portugal
38. Michael Foster - South Africa
39. Sebastian Fini Carstensen - Denmark
40. Jose Gabriel Marques de Almeida - Brazil (-2 laps)