Orienteering: Tuomas Heikkilä wins World Championship bronze

Tuomas Heikkilä secured a bronze medal in the sprint orienteering World Championships in Genoa, Italy, marking a significant achievement for Finnish men's orienteering.

Heikkilä completed the nearly four-kilometer course in 16 minutes and 29 seconds, trailing the Norwegian gold medalist Kasper Fosser by 18 seconds and the French silver medalist Guilhem Verove by 3 seconds. This bronze is the first World Championship sprint orienteering medal for a Finnish man in 13 years, since Mårten Boström's victory in the 2013 home games.

Despite a strong start to the season, leading the World Cup and achieving good results in athletics, Heikkilä's race began slowly. He was nearly half a minute behind the leaders at the first televised control point. However, a strong comeback, aided by a significant error from Switzerland's Tino Polsini late in the course, secured him the third position.

Other Finnish competitors in the men's final, Aarni Ronkainen and Akseli Ruohola, finished in 15th and 20th place, respectively. The women's sprint final was also underway, with three Finnish participants: Maija Sianoja, Veera Klemettinen, and Inka Nurminen. The World Championship event continues with knockout competitions and a relay race later in the week.