Saturday, February 22, 2025 – Bormio (Italy) – First SkiMo competition on Olympic soil
Today marked a significant milestone on the path to Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games: for the first time in history, Ski Mountaineering will be part of the Olympic disciplines and it’s here, in Bormio, that the action will unfold.
Today’s Sprint race was won by Emily Harrop (FRA) and Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP).
A thrilling and closely contested women’s Sprint final
Emily Harrop (FRA) and Marianne Fatton (SUI) took the lead of the race until the first transition, with Harrop extending her advantage on the climbs and solidifying it until the final downhill.
The battle for the remaining podium spots was intense. Fatton, who started the downhill in second position, was nearly overtaken by her compatriot Caroline Ulrich, while Spain’s Ana Alonso Rodriguez was also vying for third. Ultimately, Fatton secured second place, with Ulrich completing the podium.
Ana Alonso Rodriguez finished fourth, followed by Tatjana Paller (GER) and Alba De Silvestro (ITA).
Thrilling men’s Sprint final
From the outset, Swiss athletes Arno Lietha and Jon Kistler took the lead, closely pursued by Spaniards Oriol Cardona Coll and Ot Ferrer Martínez.
Oriol Cardona Coll made his move during the climbs, overtaking Kistler to secure first place. The final standings saw Cardona Coll in first, followed by Kistler and Lietha who also did a great race.
In subsequent positions, Ot Ferrer Martínez finished fourth, with Robin Bussard (SUI) in fifth, and Thibault Anselmet (FRA) securing sixth place.
Olympic preparation under real conditions
This new ISMF World Cup was a great test for Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, offering the opportunity for the athletes and the staff to test the set up imagined here in Bormio, one year before the event.
The qualification process was slightly different, as during Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, only 18 spots will be available for both men and women, so 36 in total. Therefore, today’s qualifications were designed to allow only the top 18 times of the qualifications to advance to the subsequent rounds (quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals).
About the ISMF:
Founded in 2007, the ISMF is the global governing body for competitive ski mountaineering. Since 2016, the organisation has been officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Its main goals are the promotion, regulation and development of the sport of ski mountaineering worldwide. Based in Lausanne, Switzerland, the ISMF’s membership consists of 55 national federations located in Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The ISMF organizes ski mountaineering Senior and Youth World Cups, as well as Masters and World Championships. For the first time, ski mountaineering was a medal sport at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland, and has been included in the programme of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympic Winter Games.
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