Italy’s Deromedis wins Olympic ski cross gold in historic 1-2 finish

Japan’s Satoshi Furuno Falls 0.08 Seconds Short of Olympic Ski Cross Medal

Japanese freestyle skier Satoshi Furuno made history at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Saturday, becoming the first Japanese athlete ever to reach the men’s ski cross final at Livigno Snow Park. The 26-year-old finished fourth in a four-man Big Final, missing the bronze medal by just 0.08 seconds in what was Japan’s best-ever result in the event.yomiuri

Italy’s Simone Deromedis stormed to gold after seizing the lead off the first jump, with teammate Federico Tomasoni grabbing silver and Switzerland’s Alex Fiva claiming bronze in a photo finish separated by 0.21 seconds. Furuno crossed the line just behind, ending a remarkable day that saw him defy expectations on a course made treacherous by heavy snowfall.fis-ski

A Day of Firsts

Furuno’s run through the bracket was a revelation. He posted the second-fastest time in qualifying at 1 minute and 7.12 seconds, then won his Round of 16 and quarterfinal heats outright before finishing second in a semifinal that included 2022 Beijing gold medalist Ryan Regez of Switzerland and silver medalist Alex Fiva. No Japanese skier had previously advanced past the first knockout round of Olympic ski cross.daily

“I really came so close to having a medal within reach,” Furuno said after the race, his voice breaking with emotion. “To have come this far for the first time and then let it slip away — I’m truly filled with regret”.yahoo

From BMX to the Big Final

Standing 1.73 meters tall, Furuno has long faced a size disadvantage against the larger European skiers who dominate the sport sometimes described as “combat on snow”. A native of Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture, and a graduate of Keio University’s Faculty of Law, he grew up splitting his youth between BMX cycling in summer and alpine skiing in winter. He became the Japanese age-group BMX champion in elementary school before discovering ski cross at age nine.steep

His first Olympic appearance at the 2022 Beijing Games ended in heartbreak when he crashed three seconds after the start and was eliminated in the first round, finishing 26th. He underwent knee surgery last spring, and credited his support team with helping him arrive in Livigno fully fit.sponichi

Italy’s Historic Celebration

The day belonged to the host nation. Deromedis, 25, won Italy’s first-ever Olympic gold in freestyle skiing, while the Italian 1-2 marked the country’s finest moment in the discipline. Fiva, at 40 years old, became the oldest men’s freeski medalist in Olympic history for a second time, adding a bronze to the silver he won in Beijing.fis-ski

World Cup leader Reece Howden of Canada, the pre-race favorite, was eliminated in the quarterfinals after being boxed in by Tomasoni on a turn — a shock exit that underscored the unpredictable conditions. Furuno, who had never reached a World Cup podium in 68 career starts, left Livigno with tears in his eyes but a result that redraws the boundaries of Japanese ski cross.nbcolympics