Extraordinary gold for Spain at the Winter Games, only the second in history, in a sport making its debut in the Olympic program
Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Thursday, 19 February 2026 16:41 / Updated on Thursday, 19 February 2026 16:47
Oriol Cardona Coll (31 years old) became the first ever Olympic champion in ski mountaineering, clearly imposing himself in the sprint event. This sport is at the Winter Olympics for the first time, and the athlete's triumph is of great importance for his country, being only the second in total.
The sport premiering at the Winter Olympics, ski mountaineering, has its first winners at the Milano Cortina edition. The competition is held at Bormioin the Valtellina region, at Stelvio Ski Centreand the debut had an enchanting setting for the passive spectators, with rich snow, but more difficult for the competitors.
Even so, the sprint favorite, Oriol Cardona Collaged 31, maintained his status until the end of the competition. One he won by a substantial margin, 1.52 seconds, total time 2:34.03before him Nikita Filippovneutral sport, 2:35.55and his Thibault Anselmet from France, 2:36,34.
another spanish Father Ferrer Martinezfinished in 5th position, sealing an excellent day for Iberian Winter Olympic sport. In the similar women's competition, Ana Alonso Rodriguez won the bronze medal, coming after him Marianne Fatton (Switzerland) and French Emily Harrop.
Cardona won his series over Ferrer, then finished 2nd in the first semi-final. However, he dominated the final, in which the first 6 athletes from the penultimate act took part.
He came back strong with a quick transition before running up the mountain 'ladder', also gobbling up two rungs at a time. In section three he had a five second lead as he entered the final section on skis. A clean descent and a memorable win.
Oriol Cardona Coll in the ladder section of the ski mountaineering sprint event, 2026 Olympic Games Photo: Guliver/GettyImages
Oriol Cardona Coll, historic gold for Spain at the Winter Olympics
For Spain, the joy is huge: the first gold medal at the Winter Olympics after 54 years! At Sapporo 1972, Francisco Fernandez Ochoa winning the title in alpine skiing, in the slalom event.
Also, the third consecutive edition in which the Iberians climb the podium, after Javier Fernandez (figure skating) and Regina Hernandez (snowboard cross), both bronze at Pyeongchang 2018, and Quéré Castellet (snowboard halfpipe), silver at Beijing 2022. Another bronze medal was won in 1992, in Albertville, by Blanca Fernandez Ochoa in the slalom event in alpine skiing.
Born in Banyoles, close to the Pyrenees, Cardona turned to endurance sports such as skiing, athletics and even skyrunning. However, as he discovered ski mountaineering, he stabilized.
“We train well in Spain, even if we have a little snow, it revitalizes us and helps us prepare well“, the athlete, who is a double world sprint champion, explained for Olympics, in 2023 and 2025. “Our form is strong and confidence high, we are motivated“, he added before the start of the race.
“To be a sportsman, you have to deal with many factors, and one of them is pressure. If I didn't manage it well, I wouldn't be here. I worked on it to turn it into motivation, to give a little more of myself. I try to think only about the competition. This is another race of many that I have done. I'm strong, I'm fine“, he assured the day before the race for Marca.
Oriol Cardona Coll: “I polished the details”
Oriol Cardona Coll during the ski mountaineering sprint event, 2026 Olympic Games Photo: Guliver/GettyImages
“I worked very hard in the last nine months. I tried not to think about the final goal, but to focus on daily training and, when the season started, to think about the competitions that were closer,” admitted Cardona.
In the summer, the bicycle became his best “trainer”. In September, he spent three weeks in the Sierra Nevada. Since October, he has walked the snow in a camp at Stelvio, at 2,700 meters, and in November he spent a month in Tignes.
He took his first win this season at Courchevel in France in mid-January. A week later, in Andorra, in difficult weather conditions, the sprint event was cancelled, but at Boi Taull, the last race before the Games, he again climbed the podium, taking 2nd place behind Anselmet. “I polished the details I noticed in these contests“, he indicated. So well that he won the Olympic gold, making history for his country, but also for the Olympic Games as a whole.
