Two days of contrasting but highly competitive Age-Group winter multisport action came to a close on Sunday in the Norwegian town of Skeikampen, 40km north of 1994 Winter Olympic venue Lillehammer, where hosts Norway dominated the top of the podium scooping 16 golds to go with the 9 won in the Elite, U23, Junior and Mixed Relay events.
The Thursday evening saw the 2023 Championships officially opened by World Triathlon President Marisol Casado along with Norwegian Triathlon President Anette Brurås and the Mayor of Skeikampen Anette Musdalslien, following the traditional flag carrying parade of nations.
Friday’s Duathlon World Championships got the racing underway with some intense run-ski action, before the sun came out for Sunday’s run-bike-ski triathlon racing. In all there were athletes from 19 nations competing for the 39 world titles up for grabs across the various age categories over the two days.
Rather than flowers, all of the medallists received a sapling pine tree. The trees will all be planted in the spring, creating a forest to commemorate the first ever Winter Triathlon World Championships held in Skeikampen, representing the focus on sustainability and environmental awareness the local organising committee wanted to make central to the event.
On the Friday, 200 schoolchildren from Ukraine and Syria now living in the area join hundreds of local kids cheering on the duathlon action, chasing autographs and soaking up the unique atmosphere of a Winter World Championships.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to inspire these children, bring them together and let them witness world-class competition up-close,” said World Triathlon President Marisol Casado. “Skeikampen has provided a wonderful setting and superb organisation for these championships. It has been so rewarding to be here and see the impact that hosting these championships for the first time has had among Norway’s winter triathletes at all levels, and we are looking forward to many more editions of winter triathlon here in the future.”
Team Norway finished top of the Age Group medals table with 16 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze. USA won 6 golds and 13 overall, Germany 4 gold out of 9 overall, Czech Republic, Great Britain and Austria were the next best-performing delegations across the two days.
