Lausanne, 31 March 2023 – Austrian Paul Verbnjak and Frenchwoman Emily Harrop have claimed the titles of Ski Mountaineering Individual race at the 55th World Military Skiing Championship that took place in Boden, Sweden. More than 300 athletes -all militaries- from 23 nations are competing in the event, that also saw Harrop and teammates from France Xavier Gachet and Samuel Equy winning the Mixed Relay.

Only 21 years-old, Verbnjak was the winner on a Individual race that had some really strong names on the roaster of athletes, on a race in perfect conditions of snow and weather in the mountains of Sweden. Verbnjak was just returning from Adamello, where he finished last weekend in 5^th place in the ISMF Long Distance World Championships, and dominated the race in Boden to cross the finish line 35 seconds ahead of his teammate Armin Höfl. The bronze medal was for another usual in the top positions at the ISMF World Cup circuit, Marti Werner (SUI), who managed to leave behind two strong Frenchmen, Samuel Equy and Xavier Gachet, who closed the top five on the day.

On the women’s race, the French women dominated the race from start to finish to claim an historic podium sweep, with Emily Harrop crossing the finish line in first place, with over a minute of difference with her teammate Celia Perillar-Pessey. The bronze medal was for another usual name in the ISMF circuit, Axelle Gachet-Mollaret, with Poland’s Iwona Januszyk and Germany’s Tatjana Paller closing the top five.

On Thursday, eight countries lined up for the Mixed Relay, in a format that is not the one that the athletes have raced during the season but one with each team comprised of two males and one female, each athlete doing a lap on the circuit. And it was another glory day for Team France, with Harrop, Equy and Gachet breaking the tape quite comfortably, with over two minutes of a gap with the second team, Austria & Poland, that lined up Januszyk (Poland), Andreas Mayer and Daniel Zugg.

The bronze medal was for Team Austria, with Lisa Rettensteiner, Armin Höfl and Paul Verbnjak finishing in the third place, more than one minute ahead of Team Germany I and Team France II.