Starting Tuesday, July 8, the 2025 World Orienteering Championships (WOC) will officially begin in the forests of Kuopio, Finland. Among the athletes representing the Italian national team are three members of Park World Tour Italia: Jessica Lucchetta, Sebastian Inderst, and Mattia Debertolis. With 3 out of 7 selected athletes coming from PWT, this is a strong statement of the program’s development and impact.
The program includes Middle Distance Qualifications (July 8), the Middle Final (July 9), the Long Distance (July 10), and the Relay (July 12). Jessica will race Middle and Relay, Sebastian will focus entirely on the Long, and Mattia will compete in both Middle and Long. The men’s relay team will be confirmed after the Long.
ATHLETE INSIGTHS
Jessica Lucchetta, at her second forest WOC, is focused on technical execution:
“I’m really happy to be heading to the World Championships. My first goal is to qualify for the Middle Distance final by aiming for a clean and solid race. Then I’ll have a few days to recover and prepare for the Relay, where I’ll again try to give it my all. The main goal is to deliver technically strong performances.”
Jessica recently claimed silver at the 2025 Italian Middle Championships, and finished 18th in the Middle B at the World Cup in Idre Fjäll.
Sebastian Inderst, ranked 94th in the world and a veteran of seven previous WOCs, is approaching Kuopio with clarity and confidence:
“Preparation went as planned, and I feel ready. I’ve decided to skip the Middle to arrive in peak form for the Long – the discipline where I believe I can perform best. I’m eager to put all the hard work into action.”
Sebastian’s WOC record includes a best result of 24th in the Long in 2023, and this year he’s Italian Middle Champion and placed 50th in the Long at the last World Cup.
Mattia Debertolis (137th in the World Ranking) will compete in both the Middle and Long Distance. With multiple World Championships under his belt — including appearances in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 — he achieved his best results in the Middle qualification with an 18th place in 2021 and 21st in 2023. He arrives in Kuopio as the reigning Italian Long Distance champion.
“My physical shape during the World Cup rounds in Idre wasn’t where I wanted it to be. Now I feel better, so I’m coming into these World Championships motivated and eager to perform well. It will be intense as I’m running all the races, but I’m ready to give everything to honor the Italian jersey.”
FROM THE TEAM MANAGER
Gabriele Viale, team manager of PWT Italia, shared a strong message of purpose and motivation with his athletes:
“Wearing the national jersey is not the goal — it’s the tool. The real target is to achieve results: a placing, a top 20, a top 10, maybe even a podium. This World Championship should be a key step forward in your development. The improvements in the past two years are clear. Now it’s time to aim high. We don’t go to Worlds to participate — we go to compete. We’re proud of you.”
With confidence and commitment, PWT Italia enters WOC 2025 ready to make its mark. All official information, schedules, start lists, and live results are available on the International Orienteering Federation (IOF) Live Center!