Ebba Årsjö and Arthur Bauchet complete golden clean sweep in Méribel

In the sixth stop of the 2025/26 World Cup seasons, skiers took to the Méribel, France.

Across three race days, they competed in Slalom (27 January), and Giant Slalom (29 January & 30 January) in a bid to win more silverware as preparations for the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games continue.

Across the trio of events, athletes had two runs at the respective courses with their combined total counting towards the end podium.

BERTAGNOLLI AND AIGNERS BATTLE IT OUT

Three enthralling days of racing in France brought out the best in Giacomo Bertagnolli (ITA; guide Andrea Ravelli) and Johannes Aigner (AUT; guide Nico Haberl), who battled it out in the Men’s Vision Impaired category.

Bertagnolli took the first swipe in the Slalom race, narrowly edging the top spot ahead of Neil Simpson (GBR; guide Rob Poth), with 0.43 seconds separating their combined runs. Silver for Simpson means the 23-year-old is officially having the best season of his career, taking his total medal tally to five – one more than his previous best in 2021. Michal Golas (POL; guide Kacper Walas) completed the top three with his second bronze this term, while Aigner was unable to finish his first run.

The Austrian returned to challenge his Italian competitor for the two Giant Slalom races that followed, his combined time enough to win his 12^th gold of the season. Bertagnolli narrowly missed out on the top spot, 0.51 seconds in it, to take silver while Canada’s Kalle Ericsson picked up his fifth medal of this World Cup with a third-place finish.

In the second Giant Slalom outing, these rivals occupied the top two once again – but this time Bertagnolli swooped in to win gold, Aigner finishing just behind in second. Golas edged the rest of the field to seal another bronze, the 21-year-old collecting his fifth podium finish of 25/26.

With just one Slalom race of the season left in men’s VI, Aigner has already confirmed his status as the crystal globe winner.

BAUCHET’S CLEAN SWEEP

On home slopes, Arthur Bauchet (FRA) completed a trio of gold medal finishes in Méribel to continue his fine form in Men’s Standing. It takes the 25-year-old’s gold tally to seven for the season – 10 medals in total.

In Slalom, Aaron Lindström earned his third medal of the season with a second-place finish, while Federico Pelizzari (ITA) collected his second after finishing third.

Bauchet’s compatriot, Jules Segers, completed a French one-two in the first Giant Slalom event, followed by third-placed Robin Cuche (SUI). The podium remained unchanged in the second GS race.

JAPAN, NETHERLANDS IN COMMAND

Japan and the Netherlands enjoyed their fair share of medals in Men’s Sitting, dominating in different events. It was a Japanese first and third in Slalom, Takeshi Suzuki winning his first gold of the season while compatriot Taiki Morii took his medal count to four with a bronze. Sandwiched between them was Jeroen Kampschreur (NED), whose silver medal marked the first of two medals in Méribel.

The first Giant Slalom race was a Dutch one-two, Kampschreur picked up a second silver in this stop, pipped to gold by compatriot Niels de Langen, winning his second top spot of the season. The pair were joined on the podium by Lou Braz-Dagand of France.

De Langen carried his form into race two, his combined time enough to see off competition from Italy’s Renè de Silvestro in second and Norway’s Jesper Pedersen in third.

ÅRSJÖ CONTINUES PERFECT FORM

Ever since the second stop of the 25/26 World Cup season, Sweden’s Ebba Årsjö has been unstoppable in the Women’s Standing category. The three outings in Méribel proved no different, winning gold in each race. It takes her current tally to six consecutive World Cup podiums this term – all six of which in the top spot. Årsjö’s performances mean she has sealed the Giant Slalom crystal globe with one race to spare.

In Slalom, Aurélie Richard (FRA) – arguably Årsjö’s closest competitor over three days of racing – and Anna-Maria Rieder (GER) completed the podium.

The first Giant Slalom podium saw Varvara Voronchikhina (RUS) and Mollie Jepsen (CAN) take second and third respectively, while Richard clinched the No. 2 spot in the second Giant Slalom outing, and Andrea Rothfuss (GER) took third.

AUSTRIA DOMINATE

In the Women’s Vision Impaired category, it was another case of Austria dominating on the slopes. Elina Stary (AUT; guide Stefan Winter) had the best time across two Slalom runs to earn her fourth gold of the current season. Her compatriot, Veronika Aigner (AUT; guide Elisabeth Aigner) had the second-best time, the two finishing considerably ahead of closest competitor Martina Vozza (ITA; guide Ylenia Sabidussi) in third.

When it came to both Giant Slalom races, Aigner returned to the top spot to win her 10^th and 11^th gold of 2025/26. Stary followed her in second, but it was a second-ever World Cup medal for 16-year-old Margaret Gustafson (USA; guide Spenser Gustafson) who collected bronze in the first contest.

Stary completed a trio of medals with third in the second GS, bettered by Italy’s Chiara Mazzel (guide Fabrizio Casal) who swooped in to collect her second silver of the season, and fifth medal in total.

FORSTER AND PASCUAL SECO LEAD THE WAY

For the most part, the Women’s Sitting category was dominated once more by World Cup royalty Anna-Lena Forster (GER) and Spain’s rising star Audrey Pascual Seco. It was the German who won gold in the Slalom event, sealing the crystal globe with one race of the campaign left, her Spanish rival coming in third. Finland’s Nette Kiviranta swept in between the pair to clinch silver.

Race one of the Giant Slalom was a similar variation of the same podium, Forster winning her eighth gold of the campaign to take her medal tally to 15. Pascual Seco upped her game to win her fourth gold, while Kiviranta maintained her good form to complete the podium.

Forster was unable to finish the second run on the final Giant Slalom contest, paving the way for Pascual Seco to win her eighth gold of 25/26. Her trio of medals in Méribel takes her count for the season to 13 – her best ever return in a World Cup. Kiviranta took silver, also bettering her previous medal counts in previous seasons. Barbara van Bergen (NED) finished just behind in third, picking up her fourth podium finish so far this term.

NEXT STOP

Skiers will remain in France for the penultimate stop of the 2025/26 season, taking on Downhill and Super-G courses in Tignes between 2-6 February.