The opening day of the 2025 World Orienteering Championships in Kuopio, Finland brings excellent news for PWT Italia: Mattia Debertolis has qualified for the Middle Distance Final, scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday 9 July.
Mattia placed 10th in his heat, just +3:01 behind Kasper Harlem Fosser, the world’s top-ranked athlete. This is a major milestone for Debertolis, who reaches the Middle Final at the World Championships for the first time, after coming close in 2021 (18th) and 2023 (21st). His qualification reflects steady progress — now in his second year with PWT Italia, Mattia is building consistency and high-level experience.
His post-race comments captured the mindset behind the performance: “It was a really demanding race from a technical point of view, just as we expected. I decided not to start too fast so I could get into the map and avoid mistakes. It went really well — I stayed calm and didn’t make any errors. That was the key today: keeping composure. I really enjoyed the race. Tomorrow will be something different, with a more physical terrain and a bigger challenge. I’m excited to race again.”
Jessica Lucchetta, who also competed in the Middle qualification, didn’t make the cut today. She will return to action on Saturday in the Relay, where she’ll once again race with the national team.