Monique and Nicolas Halter are crowned U23 Short Track World Champions in Val di Sole

The 2026 U23 Short Track World Championship left a day that is hard to repeat in Val di Sole. The Swiss brothers Monique and Nicolas Halter were crowned world champions in XCC with just over an hour difference, while Spain came very close to reaching the podium thanks to an excellent Álex García, who finished fourth in the men's race.

Monique Halter wins a U23 XCC World Championship decided by a sprint

The women's U23 race was marked by equality. The pace did not definitively break the leading group, and several riders arrived with medal chances on the last lap.

Monique Halter managed to resolve a very tight finish to become world champion with a time of 19:55. The British Bethany-Ann Jackson finished second with the same time, and the American Makena Kellerman took the bronze just one second behind. Julie Lillelund also finished one second behind the winner but missed out on the podium.

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The differences reflect the equality. The top four finished separated by just one second, and the Top 10 was concentrated within just 11 seconds.

Spain was also present in the fight for the leading group with Marta Cano. The Catalan rode for a good part of the race among the top ten and finally crossed the finish line in 15th position, just 16 seconds behind Halter.

Top 10 U23 XCC Women's World Championship 2026

1. Monique Halter (Switzerland) – 19:55
2. Bethany-Ann Jackson (Great Britain) – +0"
3. Makena Kellerman (United States) – +1"
4. Julie Lillelund (Denmark) – +1"
5. Tyler Jacobs (South Africa) – +6"
6. Rafaelle Carrier (Canada) – +7"
7. Ella Maclean-Howell (Great Britain) – +8"
8. Natalia Grzegorzewska (Poland) – +10"
9. Lea Huber (Switzerland) – +10"
10. Elina Benoit (Switzerland) – +11"

Nicolas Halter completes a historic family double

If Monique Halter's victory had already made the afternoon special for Switzerland, what happened shortly after in the men's race made the day even more extraordinary. Nicolas Halter was also crowned world champion in U23 Short Track, completing the Halter brothers' double in Val di Sole.

The men's race followed a similar script to the women's, with a very large leading group and minimal differences. The European champion Paul Schehl, Gustav Pedersen, Nicolas Halter, and several of the main favorites remained in the fight until the last laps.

Among them was also Álex García, who starred in one of the best Spanish performances of the day. The Galician did not just stay in the group: he even led the race at different moments and entered the final lap fighting directly for medals.

Halter finished by imposing his speed to win in 20:54, with Schehl second at the same time. Behind them, there was a battle for the bronze between Rens Teunissen van Manen and Álex García.

The Dutchman finally secured third place, three seconds behind the winner, while García crossed the finish line fourth, also three seconds behind, just missing out on a world medal.

The Spanish performance did not end there. Thibaut François Baudry, who was fighting for the top positions at the start of the race, finished tenth, just eight seconds behind the champion, placing two riders from the Spanish National Team in the Top 10.

Top 10 U23 XCC Men's World Championship 2026

1. Nicolas Halter (Switzerland) – 20:54
2. Paul Schehl (Germany) – +0"
3. Rens Teunissen van Manen (Netherlands) – +3"
4. Álex García (Spain) – +3"
5. Nicholas Konecny (United States) – +4"
6. Ian Ackert (Canada) – +5"
7. Gustav Pedersen (Denmark) – +6"
8. Jack Spranger (United States) – +7"
9. Nikolaj Hougs (Denmark) – +8"
10. Thibaut François Baudry (Spain) – +8"