Samuel Giger Became the First Wrestler Since Nineteen Seventy-Three to Defend the Six-Yearly Kilchberger Schwinget Title Above Lake Zurich

Schwingen is the traditional Swiss form of wrestling. The Kilchberger Schwinget, held only every six years in the year after the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival, is regarded as the sport's second most prestigious event. Only 60 of the country's best wrestlers are admitted, selected by the regional associations, and the roughly 10,000 tickets are not sold to the public but distributed by invitation.

This year's edition was held on 5 September at the Stockengut estate above Lake Zurich in Kilchberg. Samuel Giger, from Thurgau, won five of his six bouts. In the Schlussgang, the deciding final bout, he beat Marcel Bieri of the Inner Switzerland association, a surprise finalist on his Kilchberg debut, after about two minutes.

Giger had also won in 2021, when he shared the victory with Damian Ott and Fabian Staudenmann. This time he won outright, becoming only the second wrestler to defend the Kilchberg title, after Karl Meli, who won in 1967 and 1973. His prize was a bull named Ultimo, weighing 1.2 tonnes.

The result completed a comeback for Giger, who had been out for three months with a shoulder injury and was competing at a festival for the first time since late May. Staudenmann, the pre-event favourite, finished fourth after suffering three defeats.

The Kilchberger Schwinget is one of three wrestling events of federal status in Switzerland, alongside the Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival and the Unspunnen festival. On its six-year cycle, the next edition is due in 2032.