Italy climbed to the top of the Winter European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) Bakuriani 2025 medal table with gold medals in the Cross Country Skiing and Biathlon Mixed Relays on the final day of competition in Georgia.
The Italian team had been second to France throughout much of the week but leapfrogged their neighbours on Sunday to end Bakuriani 2025 with seven gold medals, and 16 in total.
France, meanwhile, won five golds and 19 medals in total to end up second, while Switzerland finished third with four golds and 11 in total, thanks to their Boys’ Ice Hockey victory in Tbilisi.
Daniel Pedranzini confirmed his standing as the star of the 17th Winter EYOF, as he won a fourth gold medal as part of Italy’s Cross Country Skiing 4x5km Mixed Relay side.
Vanessa Cagnati, Alice Leoni and Luca Pietroboni were the other Italian skiers in the team that pipped France to second and the Swiss to third, with only 6.3 seconds separating the top three.
In the Biathlon 4x6km Mixed Relay, Italian quarter of Thea Wanker, Gaia Gondolo, Rafael Santer and Julian Huber saw off competition from Czechia (silver) and Austria (bronze)
The Team Parallel events also took place on Sunday morning in the Alpine Skiing. Norway and Italy made it to the Big Final, where Helene Unhjem, Storm Andre Hagen, Victoria Nordmo Mikalsen and Elias Hartford Kvael took home the gold for the Norwegians. France and Czechia shared the spoils in the Small Final to both take bronze.
The final action of the day came in Tbilisi as the Boys’ Ice Hockey came to a conclusion. Czechia beat Ukraine 4-2 in the bronze medal match, before the Swiss’ 5-2 success over Slovakia in the final.
Slovakia pulled the score back to 2-2 early in the third period, only for the Swiss to retake the lead within 23 seconds and then confirm their victory with two goals in the final minute.
