Racing continued Thursday morning at the 2026 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships with the Junior Cross-Country Olympic events before the focus shifted to Short Track, where the Under-23 and Elite fields took to the course later in the day.
The compact Short Track course featured a steep 20-percent climb, tight turns, and a fast descent before opening onto a long finishing straight. The layout repeatedly tested riders’ legs and positioning, with little room to recover between efforts.
Elite Women’s Short Track
Three Americans lined up for the Elite Women’s Short Track, including Savilia Blunk (Inverness, Calif.; Decathlon Ford Racing Team), Gwendalyn Gibson (Ramona, Calif.; Trek Factory Racing), and Madigan Munro (Boulder, Colo.; Liv Racing).
The pace was high from the start, with the short 20-percent gradient climb taking its toll each lap before riders headed into the fast descent. By lap four, a group of around 10 riders had formed at the front with Blunk among them.
Gibson worked her way onto the back of the lead group heading into lap five, but the effort to make contact proved costly and she was unable to hold the pace as the race continued. Blunk remained in contention before losing contact with the top five heading into three laps left in the race.
Blunk held her position in the chase group to secure a top-10 finish. Gibson crossed the line in 15th, with Munro finishing 23rd.
Results:
1. Laura Stigger (AUT)
2. Evie Richards (GBR)
3. Sina Frei (SUI)
10. Savilia Blunk (USA)
15. Gwendalyn Gibson (USA)
23. Madigan Munro (USA)
Elite Men’s Short Track
Christopher Blevins (Durango, Colo.; Specialized Factory Racing) and Bjorn Riley (Boulder, Colo.; SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing) lined up for the Elite Men’s Short Track. Blevins returned to Val di Sole, where he won the inaugural Short Track World Championship in 2021, while Riley entered the race as the reigning U.S. Short Track National Champion.
The field exploded off the line, with Riley and Blevins both holding positions inside the top 15 early. Riley steadily worked his way forward and stayed near the front as the French riders controlled much of the pace.
Around the halfway point, the race began to stretch out and breaks started forming, but Riley remained with the leaders. On lap seven, he moved into third and continued to ride near the front as the attacks intensified over the closing laps.
Riley entered the final lap still in medal contention and made a strong push on the final climb, sitting fourth heading toward the finish. He narrowly missed the podium, crossing the line in fourth. Blevins lost ground as the race progressed and finished 36th.
Results:
1. Adrien Yves Claude Boichis (FRA)
2. Charlie Aldridge (GBR)
3. Luca Martin (FRA)
4. Bjorn Riley (USA)
36. Christopher Blevins (USA)
U23 Women’s Short Track
In the Under-23 Women’s Short Track, Bailey Cioppa (Durango, Colo.), Makena Kellerman (Escondido, Calif.), and Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing) lined up for Team USA.
Kellerman moved into the lead group early and quickly established herself near the front of the 39-rider field. By the second lap, Kellerman was sitting comfortably inside the top five and remained in position as the group began to thin.
By the final lap, four riders had separated themselves at the front. Kellerman battled all the way to the line and sprinting for the bronze medal.
Behind her, Cioppa worked her way back after losing ground on the opening lap and kept the main group within reach, ultimately finishing 18th. Greta Kilburn (Burlington, Vt.; Bicycle Express Racing) also finished inside the top 25, placing 21st.
Results:
1. Monique Halter (SUI)
2. Bethany-Ann Jackson (GBR)
3. Makena Kellerman (USA)
18. Bailey Cioppa (USA)
21. Greta Kilburn (USA)
U23 Men’s Short Track
Dan English (San Ramon, Calif.; Trinity Racing), Nicholas Konecny (Breckenridge, Colo.; Lexware Mountain Bike Team), and Jack Spranger (Sammamish, Wash.) represented Team USA in the Under-23 Men’s Short Track.
The race got off to a blistering start, with English and Konecny battling to stay with the leaders. Konecny remained with the front group throughout the race and stayed in contention through the closing laps, finishing fifth.
Spranger steadily picked off riders and worked his way forward, making contact with the main group with three laps remaining before finishing eighth.
English lost significant time on lap four, taking him out of medal contention, but continued through to finish place 17th.
Results:
1. Nicolas Halter (SUI)
2. Paul Schehl (GER)
3. Rens Teunissen van Manen (NED)
5. Nicholas Konecny (USA)
8. Jack Spranger (USA)
17. Dan English (USA)
Junior Women’s Cross-Country
Lily Agnew (Charlottesville, Va.; VAHS), Aida Linton (Missoula, Mont.; Bear National Team), and Sophia Wellmeier (Corte Madera, Calif.; Bear National Team) represented Team USA in the Junior Women’s Cross-Country Olympic race.
Linton was near the front from the start, coming through the opening loop in fourth and remaining in the top 10 for much of the race. As the field began to spread out over the later laps, she stayed within reach of the riders ahead and continued to battle for position before finishing 12th.
Agnew also opened the race inside the top 10 before slipping a few positions as the pace continued. She stayed steady through the remainder of the four-lap race and crossed the line in 22nd.
Results:
1. Anja Grossmann (SUI)
2. Barbora Bukovska (CZE)
3. Agathe Vauchamp (FRA)
12. Aida Linton (USA)
22. Lily Agnew (USA)
DNF Sophia Wellmeier (USA)
Junior Men’s Cross-Country
Team USA had six riders in the Junior Men’s Cross-Country Olympic race, with Thomas Agnew (Fall River, Wisc.; Team Bear Devo), Rowan Nistal (Boise, Idaho; Bear National Team), Myles Perry (Draper, Utah; Rouleur Devo), Kian Reid (Wenatchee, Wash.; Bear National Team), Noah Scholnick (Williamsport, Penn.; Bear National Team), Charles Thomas (Reno, Nev.; WE Development), and Michael Ziomek (Albuquerque, N.M.; Bear National Team) taking on the five-lap course.
Scholnick steadily worked his way forward after coming through the start loop in 74th. He continued to gain positions throughout the race, moving into the top 50 late before crossing the line as the top American in 42nd. Nistal also made early progress, moving into the top 30 during the opening half of the race before finishing 45th.
Ziomek started well and sat just outside the top 20 early before slipping positions as the race continued, eventually finishing 56th. Perry followed in 62nd. Agnew made up significant ground after coming through the start loop in 100th, steadily moving forward throughout the race to finish 69th. Thomas finished one lap down in 86th.
Results:
1. Connor Wright (AUS)
2. Michael Hettegger (AUT)
3. Marwan Barhoumi (SUI)
42. Noah Scholnick (USA)
45. Rowan Nistal (USA)
56. Michael Ziomek (USA)
62. Myles Perry (USA)
69. Thomas Agnew (USA)
86. Charles Thomas (USA)
Next Up: Racing moves to the slopes Friday with the Junior and Elite Downhill qualifiers.
USA Cycling’s participation in the World Championships is made possible through the support of dedicated donors and partners. Visit Bentonville and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism are key partners of our Mountain Bike program, both sharing our mission to elevate the sport of cycling.
To support the USA Cycling National Team, USA Cycling members and fans can donate to the USA Cycling Foundation here.
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