The recently concluded FIS Junior World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, showcased the promising and dynamic future of Alpine skiing.
Over eight days of intense competition, nearly 400 young athletes, aged 15 to 20, from 60 nations battled in the Julian Alps. Seven different countries claimed gold, with traditional powerhouses Austria and Switzerland securing seven medals each. However, France topped the gold medal tally with three of the 11 titles available. Germany, Sweden, and Norway also had gold medalists, highlighting the event’s broad international success.
One of the standout moments came from Italy’s own Giorgia Collomb, who thrilled the home crowd by winning the women’s Giant Slalom, finishing 0.56 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Stefanie Grob. The 18-year-old from La Thuile has had a remarkable season, adding this title to her Mixed Team Parallel gold at the FIS World Championships and three medals from the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.
Grob, meanwhile, secured silver in the Giant Slalom after claiming gold in the Downhill, where she edged out Swiss teammate Jasmin Mathis by just 0.01 seconds. Felix Roesle of Germany triumphed in the men’s Downhill, overtaking Switzerland’s Phillipp Kaelin by a slim 0.02 seconds. Mathis later upgraded her Downhill silver to Super G gold, while Germany’s Benno Brandis also won Super G, making it two consecutive victories for his country in men’s speed events.
In the Team Combined event set to debut at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics Austria’s Victoria Buergler and Natalie Felch staged a comeback from 13th to claim victory. The French duo of Thomas Chaix and Jonas Skabar won the men’s Team Combined, and France continued its dominance by taking gold in the Mixed Team Parallel, where Skabar led a 4-0 shutout against Sweden. The USA claimed bronze over Switzerland.
France added another gold when Flavio Vitale won the men’s Giant Slalom by an impressive 0.86-second margin. Cornelia Oehlund of Sweden, fresh from a career-best World Cup result, took the women’s Slalom title. Austria’s Leonie Raich and Felch rounded out the podium. Collomb, aiming for another medal, fell at the penultimate gate and finished fifth. In the men’s Slalom, Norway’s Theodor Braekken took gold, 0.36 seconds ahead of Sweden’s Gustav Wissting.
The 2025 Tarvisio Championships marked the eighth time Italy has hosted the World Juniors more than any other country since the event’s inception in 1982.
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