Rémi Bonnet, right, won the men's sprint race ©Getty Images

Athletes from France and Switzerland took all the gold medals at the first leg of the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) World Cup season, with sprint, vertical and individual events held in Pontedilegno-Tonale in Italy.

In the women's sprint, Emily Harrop beat out Lena Bonnel in a French one-two.

Harrop had set herself up as the favourite after setting the fastest qualification time.

Giulia Murada of Italy claimed bronze in front of Sweden's multi-talented Tove Alexandersson, who is also an orienteering world champion.

Arno Lietha of Switzerland set the fastest time in men's qualification and backed that speed up by winning the gold medal in front of Norwegian Hans-Inge Klette.

Thibault Anselmet of France took the bronze medal in front of Italy's Robert Antonioli, the reigning overall World Cup champion.

Rémi Bonnet took the men's vertical title in a Swiss one-two, finishing far in front of countryman Werner Marti.

Marti was 28sec behind for the silver medal, and Michele Boscacci of Italy claimed bronze a further eight back.

France's Xavier Gachet and Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain completed the top five.


Axelle Gachet-Mollaret gave France the women's title in a time of 27min 39.4sec, 43sec in front of Alexandersson.

Sarah Dreier of Austria was the bronze medallist, holding off Switzerland's Alessandra Schmid and Alba de Silvestro.

The Gachet family claimed the gold medals in the individual races, with Gachet-Mollaret winning the women's in 1 hour 43min 54.2sec.

Alexandersson took her second silver 46sec behind, and Harrop completed the podium but was five minutes off the pace.

Gachet-Mollaret's husband Xavier Gachet was nearly a minute clear in the men's race, finishing in 1:46.46.8, with Boscacci taking the silver.

William Bon Mardion, also of France, won bronze not far behind the Italian, but far in front of the rest of the top five, made up of Damiano Lenzi of Italy and Anselmet.

The next ISMF World Cup event is due to be in Andorra on January 15.