Ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut in challenging blizzard conditions in Bormio
Switzerland's Marianne Fatton won women's gold while Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll claimed men's gold
The sport combines skiing and mountaineering with critical transition phases
Harrop's silver medal came after a transition error that cost her potential gold
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Ski mountaineering, or skimo for short, made its highly anticipated Olympic debut on Thursday in Bormio under challenging blizzard conditions, with Switzerland's Marianne Fatton claiming gold in the women's sprint event and France's Emily Harrop taking silver, while Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll secured the men's title and Russian athlete Nikita Filippov won silver, marking the first new Winter Olympic sport added to the program since snowboarding in 1998. The historic competition featured rapid uphill sprinting with skis on, lung-busting runs up steps with boots on, and a downhill ski race to the finish line, testing athletes' versatility in the demanding weather that failed to dampen the enthusiasm of spectators who packed the nearly sold-out venue. Fatton expressed her emotional state after her victory, describing it as 'magical' and 'history for our sport,' while Cardona Coll's triumph was particularly significant as it ended Spain's 54-year wait for a Winter Olympic gold medal, with their previous champion being Alpine skier Francisco Fernandez Ochoa at Sapporo in 1972. The competition format, which includes transitions from skiing to hiking and back to skiing, proved crucial to the race outcome, as Harrop's struggles in the second transition where she got her skins caught instead of removing them cleanly cost her a potential gold medal despite her strong performance in the heats and semi-finals.
The Winter Olympic Games (French: Jeux olympiques d'hiver), also known as the Olympic Winter Games or simply the Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were...
Marianne Fatton (born 16 December 1995) is a Swiss ski mountaineer. She represented Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics, where she became champion in the women's sprint race.
Oriol Cardona Coll (born 7 October 1994) is a Spanish ski mountaineer and skyrunner. He represented Spain at the 2026 Winter Olympics and won a gold medal in the sprint race, the first gold medal for Spain at the Winter Olympic Games since 1972.
Bormio (Lombard: Bormi, Romansh: , German: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and comune with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.
The centre of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort. It was the site of...
Rapid runs & heavy snowfall - Skimo's Olympic debut By Jess Anderson BBC Sport journalist Published 4 hours ago 40 Comments Rapid uphill sprinting with skis on, lung-busting runs up steps with boots on and a downhill ski race to the finish line. The new Winter Olympic sport of ski mountaineering - or skimo for short - made its highly anticipated debut on Thursday in blizzard conditions in Bormio. Switzerland's Marianne Fatton added Olympic gold to her world title in the women's sprint event and France's Emily Harrop, who could have competed for Team GB , took silver. "It's a magical day. It's history for our sport, and for us as athletes, and it's wonderful," said Fatton. "It was so emotional. I was like, 'did I really do it?' It was amazing, and I was totally exhausted after the race." Spain's Oriol Cardona Coll took top spot in the men's sprint, the nation's first gold medal at a Winter Olympics in 54 years with their previous one won by Alpine skier Francisco Fernandez Ochoa at Sapporo in 1972. Silver in the men's event went to Russian athlete Nikita Filippov, who was competing under the neutral banner. Despite the relentless snowfall, fans poured in and lined the course to cheer on the athletes at the nearly sold-out event with much intrigue surrounding the sport's inaugural Olympic appearance. Spectators who had braved the conditions were treated to a thrilling competition as athletes pushed themselves to the limit to hike to the top of the hill then ski back down. The first new sport added to the Winter Olympics since snowboarding in 1998, skimo is rooted in the 19th Century, before lifts to take skiers up mountains had been invented. So, how does it all work? The sprint events consist of both an ascent and descent, with athletes sprinting uphill with skins on their skis to provide traction, navigating a diamond-shaped obstacle on their way up to a stairway in the mountain. They then remove the skis, placing them in their backpack, and continue climbing on foo...
