Young athletes owned the course at Lake Olbersdorf before and after Arthur Serrières and Alizée Patiès completed another winning weekend while Michael Fuchs and Paula Leupold claimed German titles.
The defining image of the 26th XTERRA O-SEE Challenge in Zittau, Germany came on Sunday. Parents crowded along the barriers while young athletes charged toward the finish, backed by families, and friends at the full weekend gathering around Lake Olbersdorf.
The youngest competitors produced close finishes, commanding victories and international podiums across Junior, Youth B and Youth A racing. The Youth Tour events offered 30 qualification places for the XTERRA Youth World Championship, while the wider X’Kids programme gave even younger athletes and family teams their own weekend spotlight.
Saturday belonged to the Full Distance and Junior athletes before the kids took over on Sunday. Arthur Serrières and Alizée Patiès from France won the Elite races, six days after completing Full Distance and Short Track sweeps at XTERRA Czech. Michael Fuchs and Paula Leupold added home victories as the new German Elite Cross-Triathlon champions.
More than 1,000 athletes took part from Aug 14-16 representing 19 nations. The event combined Elite racing, national titles, World Championship qualification and packed youth fields during three days at the Zittau Mountains Nature Park.
The Kids Own Sunday
Youth A athletes aged 14-15 raced a 300M swim, 6K mountain bike and 2K run. Adam Šiška of the Czech Republic won the boys’ race after leading from the water and managing his advantage through the final leg. Germany’s Tim Fritsch finished 21 seconds behind him, while Czech athlete Jakub Kulman completed the podium.
Šiška arrived with experience in mountain biking and cyclocross, but still found something different in the off-road triathlon course at Lake Olbersdorf. “It was a hard race and a good experience,” he said. “It was something different from racing in the Czech Republic. I liked it, so I’m happy. I also race mountain bikes and cyclocross. This is different from road triathlon, and I enjoy it.”
Germany’s Lieselotte Oberin won the Youth A girls’ race after refusing to let the bike leg decide her day. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Huliy finished second, followed by France’s Sara Oijid. “My experience from this race is that you should never give up,” Oberin said. “Even if you are passed on the bike, you can still give everything on the run. The race is not decided on the bike.”
The Youth B athletes aged 16-17 followed over a 500M swim, 10K bike and 3K run. Germany’s Lasse Paul Rother won the boys’ division, with Václav Šoula of the Czech Republic second and Germany’s Linus Gasch third.
The girls’ race produced one of the closest family results of the weekend. Swiss sisters Ambra and Giada Lobsiger finished first and second, separated by only eight seconds. Germany’s Marla Mödinger completed the podium.
The X’Kids Challenge included multiple distances for younger age groups and team competition. The result was a Sunday filled with children racing, parents supporting from the course and Elite and age-group athletes staying at the lake to watch the next generation.
Junior Winners Open the Show
Junior athletes aged 18-19 began the festivities with Saturday’s Sprint Triathlon. Jan Všetička of the Czech Republic won the Junior men’s race after building his victory across the 750M swim, 26K bike and 5.4K run. Germany’s Emil Donath finished second, followed by Czech athlete Daniel Oborný.
Všetička was making his second visit to Lake Olbersdorf after competing at the 2025 European Championship. “The course here in Germany is really beautiful, and I like it a lot,” he said. “It is technical, but it also has fast sections. This is my second time here. Last year was the European Championship, but I think the atmosphere this year was almost at the same level.”
Germany’s Naja Eschler produced a commanding performance to win the Junior women’s race. Anděla Břenková of the Czech Republic finished second, with Germany’s Anastasia Göbel third. “I would describe XTERRA as something very special,” Eschler said. “I race here every year, and it is a really beautiful event. Everyone is super nice, the organization is excellent, and it is a lot of fun.”
For Eschler, returning with teammates and friends is as important as the competition itself. “It is wonderful to be here with the whole team and with friends,” she said. “The race has so much variety, and we look forward to it every year.”
A Course Built for Competition
The Full Distance began with a 1.5K swim in Lake Olbersdorf before entering the Zittau Mountains for a 37K mountain bike course with approximately 1,050M of climbing.
The route passed Hochwald and the ruins of Oybin Castle before returning to the lake through the wooden 180° turn above the water. A 10.8K trail run completed one of the most demanding courses on the XTERRA World Tour.
The event began with five friends and a bet at Lake Olbersdorf in 2000. It joined XTERRA four years later and has since hosted five European Championships, a World Cross-Triathlon Championship and multiple German Championships.
Although the 2026 race did not offer World Cup points, the Elite field remained highly competitive. A €15,000 prize purse was available, along with 56 qualification places for the 2026 XTERRA World Championship.
Men’s Full Distance Recap
Jens Roth led the Elite men out of the lake, closely followed by Italy’s Michele Bonacina and Germany’s Robin Schüßler. Serrières remained within reach through the swim before the race moved into the Zittau Mountains.
Fuchs produced the fastest bike split and reached T2 with an 11-second advantage over Serrières. Arthur Forissier and Belgium’s Ben Vyvey entered the run close enough to keep the overall podium open.
Serrières erased the gap with the fastest run of the day and won in 2:45:40. The victory followed his Full Distance and Short Track wins at XTERRA Czech, giving him three victories in eight days.
Forissier completed a French one-two, beating Vyvey by 10 seconds. Fuchs finished fourth overall and became the German Elite champion. Roth claimed national silver, while Schüßler took bronze.
“It has a friendly feeling with really hard-core competition,” Serrières said. “After the race, everyone knows each other, so it is really nice to be here. The course is one of the toughest of the season, and it is always a pleasure to race here.”
Patiès Controls Women’s Race
Patiès led the Elite women out of Lake Olbersdorf before opening a decisive advantage on the bike. She entered the run with almost 10 minutes over reigning World Cup champion Marta Menditto and completed the course in 3:12:21.
Menditto secured second, while Leupold reached the overall podium in third. The German finished 44 seconds ahead of Great Britain’s Kerri-Ann Upham and earned her first German Elite Cross-Triathlon title.
“I think XTERRA Germany is a very beautiful triathlon,” Patiès said. “The bike course really isn’t easy, and today, with the wind and hot conditions, it was very hard. But it was a beautiful challenge, so thank you to the organization.”
Patiès matched Serrières with her third victory in eight days.
Home-Race Pride
Peter Lehmann was the fastest male age grouper in the Full Distance, finishing in 3:09:23 to win the men’s 30-34 division and its German Championship title.
“This is one of the best races in the world,” Lehmann said. “I have done so many XTERRA races, and the O-SEE Challenge is special because it is my home race. I love it here.”
His race included a strong swim and a difficult opening lap on the run before he recovered. “The first 4K, I completely blew up,” he said. “After that, it went really well, and the second loop was great.”
Robert Walther was the second-fastest male age grouper and won the German 45-49 title. Great Britain’s Elliot Smales completed the three fastest age-group performances.
Emma Pirodon of France was the fastest female age grouper in 3:44:36. Eva Dengler followed as the fastest German age-group woman and won the national 25-29 title. Johanna Schmitt placed third among the age-group women and became the German 35-39 champion.
The German Triathlon Union also awarded 21 age-group titles. Pamela Mittermeier successfully defended the women’s 45-49 title, while Alexandra Rudl won the women’s 40-44 division.
Families From Near and Far
Lars Gehrmann travelled from Doha’s TriClub Doha to complete Saturday’s O-SEE Classic. He returned on Sunday to join Sam Gehrmann Galvez and Reinhard Gehrmann in a family relay named “Three Generations Gehrmanns.”
Saturday’s awards moved into the Open Air After Party beside Lake Olbersdorf. Athletes and supporters remained at the venue before returning to the barriers on Sunday to watch the youth races.
The youngest athletes had the course, the crowd and the final word. Their performances closed a weekend that began with international competition and ended with parents cheering children through the finish.
Follow XTERRA Europe for highlights from the weekend, and visit the XTERRA O-SEE Challenge event page for the full results.
