Switzerland Dominates Saalbach 2025, U.S. Women and Austria Shine, and France, Canada and Norway Fall Short of Expectations
Switzerland proved its dominance at the Saalbach 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships, leading the medal tally across disciplines. The event featured surprises, including fewer medals than expected for Norway’s men and a strong performance from the Stifel U.S. Ski Team’s women.
Switzerland Leads the Way
The Swiss men won every discipline except giant slalom and the team parallel, showcasing their dominance in Saalbach.
The Swiss men also dominated the newly introduced team combined event, sweeping the podium and further asserting their dominance.
Swiss athletes excelled, with Wendy Holdener, Loïc Meillard, and Franjo Von Allmen securing multiple medals. Meillard won gold in slalom, men’s team combined slalom, and team parallel, plus bronze in giant slalom. Holdener took silver in slalom and women’s team combined, while Von Allmen claimed gold in downhill and men’s team combined.
U.S. Women Impress
Lauren Macuga made an immediate impact, securing bronze in the super-G in her first World Championships and first event. She set the stage for a strong U.S. performance.
Breezy Johnson captured gold in downhill and skiing the downhill portion of the women’s team combined. Mikaela Shiffrin added another World Championship victory to her portfolio, securing gold by skiing the slalom portion of the women’s team combined, and Paula Moltzan secured bronze in giant slalom. Their four-medal performance reinforced the U.S. women’s strength.
Norway’s Limited Medal Haul
Norway’s men’s giant slalom/slalom team, expected to secure multiple podiums, left with just one medal. Overall, Norway earned three medals. Atle Lie McGrath, born in Vermont, earned silver in slalom, and Adrian Smiseth Sejersted took bronze in super-G. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie added to Norway’s tally with a bronze in the women’s super-G, ensuring the team did not leave Saalbach empty-handed in the women’s events. Intense competition from Switzerland and Austria kept Norway off more podiums.
Austria Thrives at Home
Austria finished among the top nations, securing seven medals across multiple disciplines. Raphael Haaser won gold in giant slalom and silver in super-G. Stephanie Venier claimed gold in super-G and earned bronze in the women’s team combined with Katharina Truppe, who contributed by skiing the slalom.
CZE and NZL Make Their Mark
Ester Ledecká won bronze in women’s downhill, securing CZE’s lone medal. New Zealand also stood out, with Alice Robinson earning a silver in the women’s giant slalom.
Multiple Medalists Stand Out
Breezy Johnson (USA) won two golds. Federica Brignone (ITA) earned gold and silver. Raphael Haaser (AUT) took gold and silver. Wendy Holdener (SUI) claimed two silvers. Loïc Meillard (SUI) won two golds and a bronze. Franjo Von Allmen (SUI) secured two golds. Alexis Monney (SUI) and Stephanie Venier (AUT) all won multiple medals.
France and Canada Left Without Medals
The French and Canadian teams, both with storied Alpine skiing histories, left Saalbach empty-handed despite coming in with high expectations. After strong World Cup results this season and standout performances in 2023 at the Courchevel/Méribel World Championships, their failure to reach the podium in Saalbach is a significant letdown. For historically strong teams, missing the podium here underscores the challenges of competing at the highest level. With the World Cup season ongoing, both teams will push to reclaim their standing among the world’s best.
Medals by Gender
Women’s Medals
Switzerland: 4 medals (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Bronze), United States: 4 medals (2 Gold, 2 Bronze), Austria: 4 medals (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze), Italy: 3 medals (2 Gold, 1 Silver), Norway: 1 medal (1 Bronze), New Zealand: 1 medal (1 Silver), CZE: 1 medal (1 Bronze), Sweden: 1 medal (1 Bronze)
Men’s Medals
Switzerland: 10 medals (4 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze) Austria: 3 medals (1 Gold, 2 Silver), Italy: 1 medal (1 Gold), Norway: 2 medals (1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Germany: 1 medal (1 Bronze), Sweden: 1 medal (1 Bronze)
Medal Count by Country
Nine countries earned medals in the 2025 Saalbach FIS Ski World Championships. Switzerland: 13 medals (5 Gold, 5 Silver, 3 Bronze), United States: 4 medals (2 Gold, 2 Bronze), Austria: 7 medals (2 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze), Italy: 3 medals (2 Gold, 1 Silver), Norway: 3 medals (1 Silver, 2 Bronze), New Zealand: 1 medal (1 Silver) CZE: 1 medal (1 Bronze), Sweden: 1 medal (1 Bronze), Germany: 1 medal (1 Bronze).
Note team parallel medals won by Italy, Switzerland and Sweden count for both genders.
Final Thoughts
Saalbach 2025 was a resounding success, with well-organized races, excellent course conditions, and seamless event execution. The organizers deserve praise for hosting a championship that celebrated the highest level of Alpine skiing.
Saalbach 2025 reinforced Switzerland’s dominance, highlighted the strength of the U.S. women’s team, and saw Austria succeed at home. The Czech Republic and New Zealand made their mark, while Norway, Canada and France faced stiff competition. The World Cup season now awaits, and these rivalries are set to continue.
Saalbach 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Results
Click on discipline name for full results
| Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team Parallel | Italy | Switzerland | Sweden |
| Giorgia Cllomb (ITA) | Wendy Holdener (SUI) | Sara Hector (SWE) | |
| Filippo Della Vite (ITA) | Luca Aerni (SUI) | Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE) | |
| Lara Della Mea (ITA) | Delphine Darbellay (SUI) | Estelle Alphand (SWE) | |
| Alex Vinatzer (ITA) | Thomas Tumler (SUI) | Fabian Ax Swartz (SWE) | |
| Women’s super G | Stephanie Venier (AUT) | Federica Brignone (ITA) | Lauren Macuga (USA), Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) |
| Men’s Super-G | Marco Odermatt (SUI) | Raphael Haaser (AUT) | Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) |
| Women’s Downhill | Breezy Johnson (USA) | Mirjam Puchner (AUT) | Ester Ledecká (CZE) |
| Men’s Downhill | Franjo Von Allmen (SUI) | Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) | Alexis Monney (SUI) |
| Women’s Team Combined | United States | Switzerland | Austria |
| Breezy Johnson (USA) – DH | Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) – DH | Stephanie Venier (AUT) – DH | |
| Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – SL | Wendy Holdener (SUI) – SL | Katharina Truppe (AUT) – SL | |
| Men’s Team Combined | Switzerland 1 | Switzerland 2 | Switzerland 4 |
| Franjo Von Allmen (SUI) – DH | Alexis Monney (SUI) – DH | Stefan Rogentin (SUI) – DH | |
| Loïc Meillard (SUI) – SL | Tanguy Nef (SUI) – SL | Marc Rochat (SUI) – SL | |
| Women’s Giant Slalom | Federica Brignone (ITA) | Alice Robinson (NZE) | Paula Moltzan (USA) |
| Men’s Giant Slalom | Raphael Haaser (AUT) | Thomas Tumler (SUI) | Loïc Meillard (SUI) |
| Women’s Slalom | Camille Rast (SUI) | Wendy Holdener (SUI) | Katharina Liensberger (AUT) |
| Men’s Slalom | Loïc Meillard (SUI) | Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) | Linus Strasser (GER) |
About the Author: Peter Lange
