In the Thuringian town of Arnstadt, last Sunday marked the opening of the German roller skiing season 2026 with the first qualification race for the World Championships in Latvia.

The roller skiing event, Jonastaler-Challenge, over 18.3 km in classic technique, attracted a strong field and delivered familiar winners.

Jonastaler-Challenge: Bing and Lohmann on the winners’ podium

In the men’s race, Ski Classics Pro Team athlete Thomas Bing from the Czech eD system RSJ Team took the victory, crossing the finish line in 52:03 minutes. Anton Schaper stayed close on his heels throughout but ultimately had to settle for second place with a gap of 33 seconds. Florian Widemann secured third with a deficit of 3:05 minutes.

In the women’s race, Lisa Lohmann was in a class of her own: in 55:26 minutes, she left the competition with no answer. Selina Stadler followed in second place with a gap of 4:24 minutes, while Johanna Weiss completed the podium in third, 12:55 minutes behind the winner.

The race counted as an official selection event within the DSV qualification process for the FIS Roller Skiing World Championships 2026.

Also Read: 2026 Roller Ski World Cup calendar out

The road to Latvia — Qualification for the World Championships

The FIS Roller Skiing World Championships 2026 are drawing closer, and the German Ski Association (DSV) has published the nomination rules on its website Rollski Nordisch — Deutscher Skiverband. Anyone looking to secure one of the available start spots must meet both sporting and organisational requirements.

Start quotas and performance standards

Each category, junior women, junior men, women, and men, receives 5 start places. The performance threshold: a maximum deficit of 5% on the respective best time (2% for mass start races). The results from Arnstadt go directly into this assessment.

Selection events 2026

Alongside the race in Arnstadt, one further confirmed date is on the calendar: Oberhof on June 21, 2026, as part of the DSV Marathon Series, plus an additional event yet to be confirmed. Participation in at least one selection race is mandatory to be eligible for nomination. The regulations do, however, allow for flexibility: in exceptional cases, such as injury or outstanding performances, the department may deviate from the standard criteria.

Who decides?

Beyond the results lists, the final nomination is made by a four-person panel by majority vote:

• DSV Representative Roller Skiing Nordic
• Chair of the DSV Competition Sports Committee
• Sports Directors of the Roller Skiing Nordic Department
• One athlete representative

In addition to pure performance, development potential (particularly for junior athletes), timely registration, and acceptance of the cost regulations all factor into the decision.

The Roller Ski Guide 2026

In addition to the thrilling competitions, we invite you to delve into our comprehensive Roller Ski Guide 2026.

For some, it’s time to update their roller ski collection, and for others, it’s time to buy their very first pair of roller skis. Use our Roller Ski Guide, now updated with more roller skis.

Read More: The roller ski guide 2026

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