BORMIO, Italy, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain and Switzerland's Marianne Fatton captured the first-ever Olympic gold medals in ski mountaineering on Thursday, as the sport made its debut amidst blizzard conditions at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.
In the women's sprint, Fatton delivered a decisive move in the final transition, surging to the front to secure the win with a time of two minutes 59.77 seconds and add it to her 2025 world title. The Swiss athlete crossed the line 2.38 seconds ahead of France's Emily Harrop, who settled for silver.
Spain's Ana Alonso Rodriguez rounded out the podium, capping a remarkable return from serious knee and shoulder injuries sustained in a road accident barely five months ago.
After the final, the medalists embraced beyond the finish line in scenes that underscored the occasion's significance. "It's a magical day. It's history for our sport, and for us as athletes," Fatton said.
Reigning world champion Cardona Coll powered to the men's victory in 2:34.03, capturing Spain's first Winter Olympic gold medal since 1972. Individual neutral athlete Nikita Filippov claimed silver, while France's Thibault Anselmet took bronze.
"I'm so proud to represent the ski mountaineering family the first time we are in the Olympics, and also Spain," Cardona Coll said. "When they said skimo will finally be in the Olympics, it was a surprise and a feeling of joy because finally we can go and play with the major leagues, which is super fun."
Ski mountaineering traces its Olympic roots to the military patrol event held at the inaugural Winter Games in 1924. Long considered a niche sport, it was confirmed in 2021 for inclusion in the Olympic program, marking a milestone many athletes see as transformative.
"I think our sport is beautiful. There is so much freedom involved in the training. That's why we all love it," Harrop said. "It's an amazing way to discover your limits. It's hard but it is fun."
"If you enjoy skiing, if you enjoy the mountains and the freedom of going where you want to train, get into skimo," she added.
The day also marked a breakthrough for Asian ski mountaineering. China's Buluer finished eighth in the men's sprint, the highest-ever placing for an Asian male athlete in the World Cup, World Championships and Olympics.
"I fought until the very last moment and gave 100 percent of my ability today," Buluer said. "I hope more people will take up this sport. It's something you can enjoy even into your seventies or eighties."
Another Chinese Cidanyuzhen, 19, who failed to make semifinals and finished 13th, said she was satisfied with her Olympic debut.
"Right now, I feel very happy. I truly enjoyed the whole process. For a first Olympics, I don't think I'll have any regrets," she said, adding that she hopes to show the world the character of Chinese ski mountaineering athletes and draw more participants to the sport.
"Ski mountaineering is a very demanding sport. It's about challenging yourself and constantly pushing beyond your limits," she said. "Whenever you encounter difficulties, you don't give up; you face them, you challenge yourself, and you keep making breakthroughs."
