Matthias Kyburz

Matthias Kyburz (born 5 March 1990) is a Swiss long-distance runner who competes in the marathon, and a former world champion in international orienteering. On 7 April 2024 Kyburz ran 2:07:44 in his Marathon debut, becoming the third fastest Swiss athlete of all time over the distance after Tadesse Abraham and his coach Viktor Röthlin, and achieving the qualifying standard for the 2024 Olympic Games. In the Olympic marathon, Kyburz finished in 30th place. In orienteering, Kyburz has won eight gold medals at the World Orienteering Championships, making him the fourth most successful male orienteer in history by number of gold medals won at world championships at the time of his retirement in 2025.

Career Orienteering Kyburz won a bronze medal in the Long Distance at the 2008 Junior World Orienteering Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden before achieving his only gold medal in the Sprint distance in 2009, and a bronze medal in his last year of eligibility in 2010. Following this, Kyburz took two years to win his first gold medal in the World Championships, winning the sprint distance at the 2012 World Orienteering Championships in Lausanne, ahead of Matthias Merz and Matthias Müller.

Following his 2012 success in the Sprint, Kyburz became an important competitor on the world stage, an all round orienteer with the ability to win any of the three individual orienteering disciplines. This has allowed him to win the Orienteering World Cup on six occasions: 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023. For eleven years in a row (2008 to 2018) one of the two Swiss orienteers Matthias Kyburz or Daniel Hubmann won the Orienteering World Cup.

Kyburz has won eight World Orienteering Championships gold medals in five different disciplines: Sprint (2012, Lausanne), Sprint Relay (2014, Trentino), Knock Out Sprint (2022, Vejle), Relay (2015, Inverness and 2023, Flims-Laax) and Middle (2016, Strömstad, 2021, Doksy and 2023, Flims-Laax).

Kyburz has also won European Orienteering Championships gold medals in five different disciplines: Relay (2012), Sprint Relay (2021), Sprint (2016, 2018 and 2023), Knock Out Sprint (2021 and 2023), and Middle (2016 and 2018). Kyburz has won eight World Games medals of which three were gold in Cali 2013, one of each color at The World Games 2017, and a gold and a silver in 2022.

2023 was the best season for Kyburz, where he won the 2023 Orienteering World Cup, two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2023 World Orienteering Championships, and two gold medals and one silver medal at the European Orienteering Championships.

Following the introduction of the Knock-out sprint format in the 2021 orienteering season, Kyburz won every international event in the format until 2023, including in the 2021 European Orienteering Championships, the 2022 Orienteering World Cup and 2022 World Orienteering Championships, and the 2023 European Orienteering Championships.

Kyburz was not present at the 2024 World Orienteering Championships due to a focus on the 2024 Summer Olympics. Kyburz retired from international orienteering following the 2025 Orienteering World Cup final.

Athletics Kyburz attained the world record in 50 km on a treadmill of 2:56:35 on 16 April 2020, breaking a record held by Florian Neuschwander. On 26 July 2020, Kyburz broke the course record in the K43-M category at the Swiss Alpine Marathon by 10 minutes, over 42.7 kilometers and 1324 meters of climb.

On 9 June 2024, Kyburz came 21st at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in the half marathon in Rome in a time of 1:03:07.

In the Olympic Marathon, Kyburz finished in 30th place. On 2 November, Kyburz came fifth in the 2025 New York City Marathon in a time of 2:09:55.

Personal life His brother, Andreas Kyburz, is also an international orienteering competitor. Kyburz has a child with fellow orienteer Sarina born in January 2024. As of 2017, Kyburz lived in Möhlin.

Orienteering results World Championship results YearAgeLongMiddleSprintRelaySprintRelayKnock OutSprint 2011 21 — — 20 — 2012 22 19 — 1 — 2013 23 — 4 5 4 2014 24 5 — 5 2 1 2015 25 6 40 — 1 4 2016 26 7 1 2 2 — 2017 27 10 4 5 — 2018 28 8 4 5 2 — 2019 29 4 18 — 2021 31 2 1 8 3 — 2022 32 7 4 1 2023 33 2 1 1 2024 34 2024 Summer Olympics; did not compete 2025 35 3 4 2

World Cup victories DateVenueDistance 1 Porvoo Sprint 2 St. Gallen Middle Distance 3 Lausanne Sprint (WOC) 4 Gothenburg Knock-Out Sprint 5 Vuokatti Middle Distance (p) 6 Wellington Sprint 7 Oslo Sprint 8 Turku Sprint 9 Baden Sprint 10 Tasmania Sprint 11 Tasmania Long Distance 12 Halden Long Distance 13 Wrocław Long Distance 14 Jeseník Sprint (EOC) 15 Jeseník Middle Distance (EOC) 16 Tanum Middle Distance (EOC) 17 Aarau Long Distance 18 Grindelwald Long Distance 19 Grindelwald Middle Distance 20 Ticino Sprint 21 Tessin Middle Distance 22 Neuchâtel Knock-Out Sprint (EOC) 23 Borås Knock-Out Sprint 24 Verona Sprint 25 Verona Knock-Out Sprint

(p) = pursuit