Spain wins first Winter Olympic gold in 54 years at skimo debut

Oriol Cardona Coll won the historic men’s ski mountaineering sprint gold at the Bormio course, giving Spain its first Winter Olympic title since 1972.rfi
The sport made its Olympic debut on Thursday, combining uphill climbing and downhill skiing across a technical course with 65 meters of elevation gain.rfi
Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton won the women’s sprint gold earlier in the day, while a Russian neutral athlete earned silver in the men’s event.rfi

Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll Wins First Olympic Ski Mountaineering Gold

Oriol Cardona Coll claimed a historic double achievement on Thursday, winning the first-ever men’s ski mountaineering sprint gold medal at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics while ending Spain’s 54-year wait for a Winter Games gold. The 31-year-old from Banyoles, Catalonia completed the demanding course at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio in 2 minutes and 34.03 seconds.wikipedia

Nikita Filippov, competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, finished 1.52 seconds behind to take silver, becoming the first neutral competitor to win a medal at these Games. France’s Thibault Anselmet claimed bronze, finishing 2.31 seconds off the winning pace.rfi

A New Olympic Sport’s Debut

Ski mountaineering, known as “skimo,” made its long-anticipated Olympic debut on Thursday, combining uphill climbing with downhill skiing across a technical course featuring 65 meters of elevation gain. The sprint format requires athletes to ascend steep sections while wearing adhesive skins on their skis, transition at checkpoints, and then descend at speed, all in roughly three minutes.rfi

Cardona Coll, a two-time world sprint champion in 2023 and 2025, entered the Games as a heavy favorite. He posted the fastest time in his opening heat at 2:37.96 and maintained his form through the semifinals before pulling away in the final.nbcolympics

Switzerland’s Jon Kistler initially led the final during the opening climb amid heavy snowfall, but Cardona Coll demonstrated his renowned endurance during the first transition, reclaiming the lead he would not relinquish.rfi

Ending a 54-Year Drought

The victory marked Spain’s first Winter Olympic gold medal since Francisco Fernández Ochoa won the men’s alpine skiing slalom at the 1972 Sapporo Games. Known as “Paquito,” Fernández Ochoa’s surprise victory in Japan had remained Spain’s sole Winter Games gold until Thursday.wikipedia

“Ultimately, we will be part of history by competing in the first Olympic skimo event,” Cardona Coll said before the Games. “It’s a privilege to represent both my country and the sport of skimo on a global platform.”olympics

Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton won the women’s sprint earlier in the day, claiming the first-ever Olympic ski mountaineering gold medal with a time of 2:59.77. Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodríguez took bronze in that event, giving the country two medals in the sport’s Olympic debut.olympics