2025 XTERRA European Championship Celebrates Elite, Age Group, and Youth Winners as Menditto Clinches World Cup Title

August 18, 2025

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – Zittau, Germany stood as the battleground for legacies as the 16th XTERRA European Championship joined forces once again with the 25th anniversary of the O-SEE Challenge. It was the fifth time this venue has hosted the stand-alone continental title race. With 29 years of XTERRA off-road triathlon history and a quarter-century of O-SEE heritage, two families came together in the border triangle of Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. More than a thousand athletes and thousands more fans lined Lake Olbersdorf and the surrounding trails to witness the clash of leaders, legends, and a new wave of talent. The atmosphere carried through the weekend and proved to be the perfect lead-up to the XTERRA World Championship at the highest caliber of competition.

On the championship stage, Solenne Billouin (FRA) captured the women’s Elite title while Jens Emil Sloth Nielsen (DNK) won the men’s Elite race. The fastest age group finishers were Michael Fuchs (DEU, 20–24) and Paula Leupold (DEU, 20–24). Youth champions were crowned across all three divisions for the first time in European Championship history, with Bastien Lambercier (CHE) and Milena Lindner (DEU) taking Youth A victories, Pietro Bellemo (ITA) and Lisa Salzmann (DEU) topping the Youth B races, and Till Altmann (DEU) and Naja Eschler (DEU) winning the Junior division.

This was Stop 7 of the 2025 XTERRA World Cup and the final Full Distance race before the series finale in a live Short Track clash in Molveno, Italy next month. Marta Menditto (ITA) secured the women’s World Cup crown thanks to her consistency across the season, while the men’s race for the title remains as close as ever with the Forissier brothers and several top contenders still battling for points and podium positions. To celebrate it all, the afterparty carried the same monumental energy as the racing itself, a legendary gathering that will be remembered as much as the performances on course. For stories from the weekend, visit @XTERRAeurope.

Link to Full Article (Course Info, Champion Quotes & Photo Folder Link):

xterraplanet.com/race-reports/2025-xterra-ruidoso-debuts-with-elite-champions-middaugh-felder-village-and-volunteers-win-the-weekend

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