The Winter Olympics may have wrapped up, but the snow sports endurance athletes will once again take centre stage this weekend as World Triathlon hosts its Winter Triathlon and Duathlon World Championships in Padola, Italy.
While organisers accept this year’s fields have been impacted due to the event following so closely after the Games, there are still plenty of big names lined up from the ‘run, bike, ski’ world as they prepare to put their fitness and cold-weather grit to the ultimate test in the Dolomite mountain region.
Such proximity to the Milano-Cortina event – coupled with a slightly later announcement from World Triathlon regarding venue and date of the championships – means there are no elite Norwegian athletes in either the duathlon or triathlon.
Pushing for Olympic recognition
While winter triathlon is not currently an Olympic-recognised sport, many top-tier winter endurance athletes, particularly from the Nordic nations, combine their multisport activities with sports like cross-country skiing and biathlon – events dominated by Norwegian athletes at the recent Games.
Denied inclusion at the 2014 Sochi Games, World Triathlon is fully committed to growing the discipline and confirmed this week that its long-term goal remains seeing it incorporated into the Winter Olympic programme.
As the sport’s governing body seeks to increase its global footprint and ensure a wider representation of athletes across more regions, this week’s championships are regarded as a vital building block in that journey.
World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany says the event holds a unique place on the multisport calendar: “Winter triathlon has a unique ability to showcase the versatility and resilience of our athletes, and Italy has been a magnificent partner in bringing this discipline to life.
“By returning to Italy for the 2026 World Championships in Padola, we are building on the legacy of Cogne, Pragelato and Asiago and taking another important step towards our long‑term goal of seeing winter triathlon recognised on the biggest sporting stages.”
Here is our preview of this weekend’s action…
Venue
The event will take place at the Padola cross-country stadium. Padola is a charming alpine village in Comelico Superiore, Italy, nestled amongst the stunning Dolomites.
It is a region well known for its winter skiing, with the Val Comelico area part of the Dolomiti Superski – an area that comprises 12 ski resorts and a total of 1,246km of slopes, making it the largest ski area in the world.
The races
This weekend will see both the World Triathlon Championships for duathlon and triathlon taking place for elite, under-23, junior and para athletes.
While final distances can be impacted by the weather, in terms of the amount of snow, the duathlon usually consists of a 4km run and an 8km ski, which is split into two running and two skiing sections, with three transitions.
Triathletes will tackle an 8km run, a 12km mountain bike ride, and a 12km ski, which is again split into smaller chunks, with two sets of run, bike and ski split with five transitions.
All of the disciplines are completed on snow, with studded trail running shoes, mountain bikes with rugged, low-pressure tyres, and, of course, cross-country skis required for each discipline.
Timetable of events
The festival of winter sports takes place from Friday, March 27, through to Sunday, March 1.
Friday, February 27: The duathlon takes place with the elite, under-23s and junior classes competing.
Saturday, February 28: The age-group and para winter duathlon championships will take place, as well as the elite, under-23, and junior winter triathlon championships.
Sunday, March 1: The final day will then host the age-group and para triathlon events, followed by the final 2×2 mixed relay.
Who is competing
Because of the Olympic hangover, there are no Norwegian athletes in either of the elite start lists, meaning that three-time world champion powerhouse Hans Christian Tungesvik – who finished second in the triathlon and third in the duathlon last year – is not racing. Neither is his compatriot and winner of the duathlon title in 2025, Jørgen Baklid.
Instead, the fields are dominated by Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) – those who are allowed to compete at an international sporting competition but are not permitted to represent their country, such as Russia or Belarus – as well as some from Italy, Slovakia, and Germany.
Last year’s triathlon champion and duathlon runner-up, Oleg Chestikov (AIN), returns for both events, while Italian Franco Pesavento, fourth and seventh last year, is also in both fields. Seven-time world champion Pavel Andreev also returns.
The women’s fields are noticeably smaller this year, with only eight lining up for the triathlon and just four in the duathlon. However, the double winner from last year and four-time winter triathlon world champion, AIN athlete Daria Rogozina, is registered to once again take part in both events as she looks to defend her titles.
A full list of the athletes competing this weekend can be found HERE.
Prize money
Equal winnings are paid out to both the men and women athletes for the top ten finishers, with a $15,000 prize pot, as listed below:
- 1st: $1,875
- 2nd: $1,500
- 3rd: $1,125
- 4th: $750
- 5th: $600
- 6th: $525
- 7th: $450
- 8th: $300
- 9th: $225
- 10th: $150
Prize money for the 2×2 mixed relay has a $4,000 kitty, which is split into $2,000 for the winners, $1,200 for the runners-up and $800 for third.
