French runner Frédéric Tranchand and Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson have been crowned World Champions in the Short Trail event on the second day of the World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, held until this Sunday in the town of Canfranc, in the Spanish Pyrenees.

In the men’s category, two-time champion Stian Angermund was aiming for a third title, a particularly tough challenge given the high level of his rivals. During the first major ascent to the summit of La Moleta (2,572m), he was running in the leading trio alongside Frenchman Frédéric Tranchand and Spaniard Manuel Merillas, a veteran and former winner of the Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon.

Frédéric managed to break away on the technical descent from La Moleta to Canal Roya, arriving there with more than a minute’s lead over Manuel and Stian. Meanwhile, the rest of the Spanish team began moving up the ranks from behind.

By the 35 km mark, the Spanish resurgence was in full swing, with Frédéric Tranchand leading, followed by Manuel Merillas, Andreu Blanes, and Alain Santamaría, 2, 8, and 9 minutes behind, respectively. At the crucial final mountain pass before the descent to the finish line, Tranchand launched a full-throttle attack, crossing the line as the new world champion.

Frédéric Tranchand took the gold with a time of 4:42:10, setting a new course record. Manuel Merillas secured silver in 4:45:33, kicking off a Spanish triple podium with Andreu Blanes earning bronze in 4:51:52, and Alain Santamaría finishing fourth in 4:55:48.

At the finish line, an emotional Frédéric Tranchand (FRA) stated:

“Today I felt great right from the start and enjoyed the whole race. I attacked aggressively on the descent from La Moleta, being careful not to overdo it, and managed to keep a strong pace the rest of the way. I had a slight cramp towards the end but stayed fully focused and got the win.”

Manuel Merillas (ESP) added:

“I lived in this area for six years, and these are the trails where I grew up as a mountain runner. It’s been a long time since I won the Canfranc-Canfranc Marathon, and it’s very special to return here for the World Championship. As a team, we trained really well and performed according to the work we put in. I’m happy for all of us.”

Andreu Blanes (ESP), third overall, said:

“We accepted the challenge to move up in distance, prepared thoroughly and lovingly, and even though the course didn’t really suit my style, I enjoyed it a lot. I ran based on feel and am very proud of the work we did. We knew we had a strong team, and I’m thrilled we achieved that team gold.”

TEAMS: SPAIN WINS MEN’S TEAM GOLD

Team scores in the Short Trail are based on the combined times of the top three finishers from each country. The results were:

Gold: Spain – 14:33:13

Silver: France – 14:43:29

Bronze: Italy – 14:53:33

Sweden’s Tove Alexandersson had already shown her massive potential on this course a few weeks ago at the Canfranc-Canfranc, where she set a women’s record of 5h38m—despite suffering a hard fall that required medical attention.

Today, with those stitches on her eyebrow still fresh in memory, she delivered an even more stunning performance. From the very start, Tove launched her personal mission, reaching the top of the first major 6km climb to La Moleta with over three minutes on her closest chasers. Never easing up, she kept increasing her lead, which had grown to 22 minutes by km 28 in Candanchú.

Tove Alexandersson (SWE) said at the finish:

“Today I was more careful on the descents to avoid repeating the accident I had here three weeks ago. At the start, I felt slower on the way up to La Moleta, as I couldn’t quite run at my usual pace. Overall, I had a really good race and enjoyed the course a lot.”

A thrilled Sara Alonso (ESP) said:

“It’s beautiful to return here, where everything started for me as a mountain runner in 2020. It was a tough fight with Naomi, but I felt strong all day and felt the crowd’s support. The last time I passed her, I made a move to prevent her from catching me on the final descent—and it worked.”

Naomi Lang (GBR) commented:

“It was my first mountain race in Spain, and I loved the atmosphere. I arrived last Saturday and was able to check out some sections—I felt the course really suited me. The battle with Sara was great, trading places on the climbs and descents. I thought I could catch her on the final downhill, but she didn’t give me a chance.”

TEAMS: SWEDEN TAKES WOMEN’S TEAM GOLD

Gold: Sweden – 17:14:42

Silver: Spain – 17:29:04

Bronze: France – 17:55:55

All ictures: WMRA by Marco Gulberti