Switzerland's Fatton wins first Olympic ski mountaineering gold medal

by · UPI

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Switzerland's Marianne Fatton clinched the first ski mountaineering gold medal in Olympics history Thursday, winning by 2.38 seconds in Bormio, Italy.

France's Emily Harrop and Spain's Ana Alonso Rodriguez earned the first respective silver and bronze medals in the sport, which was approved in 2022 for addition to the this year's Winter Olympics.

Fatton clocked a 2:59.77 on the 725-meter course, which included a 65-meter climb, a mid-point transition zone and speedy slalom descent to the finish line at Stelvio Ski Centre.

Harrop clocked a 3:02.15, finishing nearly eight seconds faster than Alonso Rodriguez. Germany's Tatjana Paller placed fourth, ahead of Italian Giulia Murada and France's Margot Ravinel.

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Anna Gibson, the lone American competitor, failed to advance past the semifinals.

Spain's Oriol Cadrona Coll won the first men's ski mountaineering gold medal. His time of 2:34.03 was just 1.52 seconds ahead of second-place Nikita Filippov, a neutral athlete from Russia. France's Thibault Anselmet clocked a 2:36.34 to earn a bronze medal.

Cameron Smith, a 13-time national champion and lone American competitor in the men's field, failed to advance to the final.

The first ski mountaineering mixed relay at the Olympic level will be held at 7:30 a.m. EST Saturday in Bormio. Coverage from the Stelvio Ski Centre will air on USA Network.

Gibson and Smith will team up for that competition.

Switzerland wins gold in ski mountaineering women's sprint

Gold medalist Marianne Fatton of Switzerland poses with her medal and national flag after the ski mountaineering women's sprint at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Bormio, Italy, on February 19, 2026. Emily Harrop of France won the silver medal and Ana Alonso Rodriguez of Spain won the bronze. Photo by Bob Strong/UPI | License Photo