The 2025 Winter Duathlon World Championships showcased some of the world’s elite athletes, competing for the prestigious title in the breathtaking landscape of Cogne, Italy, on the heart of the Aosta Valley. After almost three years out of competition, Independent Neutral Athlete Daria Rogozina claimed the world title. The men’s win went to Norwegian athlete Jorgen Baklid
The Winter Duathlon World Championships kicked off three days of competition on the snow in Cogne, a picturesque winter resort that followed in the footsteps of Pragelato, which hosted last year’s Winter Triathlon World Championships.
The Elite, U23 and Junior athletes faced a race format consisted of two laps of 1 km each running, followed by two laps of 2 km each on skis, and then a repeat of each segment for a a total distance of 4 km running and 8 km skiing.
Neutral Athlete Daria Rogozina clinched the Winter Duathlon world title in Cogne, reinforcing her status as a formidable competitor. A three-time winter triathlon world champion (2018, 2019, 2022) and a bronze medalist in 2021, Rogozina proved her mettle. Born in 1996, she showcased her skiing prowess, claiming victory in her return to competition after being declared a Neutral Athlete just days before the race. Her last event was in 2022.
Norway’s Ine Skjellum, the silver medalist and last year’s Duathlon World Champion, delivered a remarkable performance, particularly in the running segments. However, she was unable to keep pace with Rogozina during the ski sections. The bronze medal went to Helena Karásková from the Czech Republic, who is a consistent presence in cross triathlon and cross duathlon events.
In the opening leg, a group of 17 women entered transition together, showcasing their speed and skill. Unfortunately, Skjellum lost valuable seconds when she mistakenly went to transition instead of turing for the second loop, having to go back and play cat and mouse with the other leaders for a bit.
Rogozina quickly established her dominance in the skiing segment, clocking the fastest split by nearly 20 seconds, asserting a gap that proved insurmountable. On the second running leg, Skjellum and her teammate Kristin Waaktaar Opland took charge of the chase group alongside Karásková. However, Karásková’s exceptional skiing ability allowed her to leapfrog into a strong bronze position.
As the competitors approached the finish line, Rogozina celebrated her victory with a lead of over 40 seconds ahead of Skjellum, who joyfully crossed the line in second place. Karásková secured the bronze, while Natalie Brlicova (CZE) finished fourth and Carina Wasle from Austria rounded out the top five.
Men’s event
It was a fantastic day for Norway at the Men’s Winter Duathlon World Championships held in Cogne, Italy, as Jorgen Baklid delivered a masterclass on the snow, excelling in both running and skiing to claim the world title for the first time in his young career. His teammate Hans Christian Tungesvik crossed the finish line in third place, with another Norwegian rounding out the top 5 and three more finishing in the top 15. Only Oleg Chestikov (AIN) managed to cross the finish line between the Norwegians, claiming the silver medal.
The picturesque town of Cogne, located in the Aosta Valley, hosted the first day of competition for the World Triathlon Winter Championships, where Junior, U23, and Elite athletes vied for the Winter Duathlon world titles under perfect conditions at the cross-country ski resort
Local hero and last year’s World Champion, Franco Pesavento, pushed the race hard from the very beginning, achieving the fastest run split of the day with a time of 7:02 for a challenging 2 km run in slippery snow. However, it was not enough to keep some of the top skiers at bay.
During the first leg on skis, Viorel Palici from Romania moved into first place, followed by a strong group of Norwegians, all of whom have impressive backgrounds as cross-country ski athletes. However, it was the second transition where significant differences began to emerge. Chestikov and Ivan Zalavtsev (AIN) opted to leave their boots on their skis, allowing them to complete the third transition almost 15 seconds faster than the Norwegian and Italian athletes.
By the time they all reached the final run segment, Baklid had a small 10-second lead that proved sufficient to maintain his position, ultimately crossing the finish line first. Chestikov held onto second place, while Hans Christian Tungesvik made a strong final push to clinch the bronze medal, passing Palici and his teammate Jon Sæverås Breivold on the last lap.
