Swiss orienteering standout Simona Aebersold delivered one of the most remarkable performances of The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, claiming all three gold medals available to her and cementing her place among the event’s most outstanding athletes.
For her exceptional achievements, Aebersold is featured in the Heroes of the Games Series.
The 27-year-old Swiss athlete dominated the orienteering competition, winning gold in both the middle distance and sprint events before helping Switzerland secure a third gold medal in the mixed relay. Her clean sweep came despite challenging weather conditions that tested even the most experienced competitors.
For Aebersold, however, Chengdu was about more than medals. The unique competition venues left a lasting impression.
“Most of all, it was a lot of fun to compete in those special terrains of Chengdu,” she said.
“I had never run through rice fields or in an exhibition park before and just appreciated the opportunity to experience it. And then of course, it’s always cool to stand on top of a podium and receive those special panda medals.”
The road to success was far from easy. Arriving in China directly after an intense racing period, Aebersold had little opportunity for specific preparation. Instead, adapting to Chengdu’s extreme heat and humidity became her primary challenge.
“The biggest challenge we faced was definitely the great heat and humidity,” she explained. “I tried to train as much as possible in the heat to help my body get used to it.”
One particularly demanding training session nearly pushed her to the limit.
“The double-threshold day I did two days before the races was probably the toughest one I had ever done. I had to take extra breaks between intervals to get cold drinks because I completely overheated. But in the end, I felt a lot more acclimatized.”
Aebersold also highlighted the unique atmosphere of The World Games, describing it as the biggest multi-sport event available to orienteers.
“The event itself is definitely the biggest event we, as orienteers, get to experience,” she said.
“It’s an opportunity for us to feel the Olympic spirit, meet athletes from other sports, and compete in something really big against the very best in the world.”
Although competition schedules prevented her from watching other events, she enjoyed sharing the athletes’ experience with competitors from floorball and tug of war, celebrating each other’s successes in the dining hall after competition days.
Looking ahead, Aebersold already has her sights set on The World Games 2029 in Karlsruhe, Germany.
“I definitely am,” she said when asked about returning. “As Karlsruhe is very close to the best nations and runners in orienteering, I hope that all the best athletes will be there and compete for medals.”