Oriol Cardona makes history as first man to win Olympic ski mountaineering gold
Banyoles native wins Spain’s first gold medal at the Winter Olympics since 1972
Oriol Cardona Coll has made history by winning the gold medal in the ski mountaineering men's sprint at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
This year is the first time this sport has ever been included in the Winter Olympic Games.
His gold medal is also Spain's first at a Winter Olympics since 1972.
Madrid-born Francisco Fernández Ochoa was the last Spaniard to claim a Winter Olympics gold, when he won the top prize in the slalom at the 1972 Games in Sapporo, Japan.
Shortly before Cardona's triumph, Andalusian Ana Alonso won bronze in the women's category. This Saturday, the pair will team up for the mixed ski mountaineering mixed relay, with the chance to take even more medals home.
The Catalan skier dominated the final, marked by heavy snowfall in Bormio, escaping from the chasing pack after the first climb.
Russian Nikita Filippov, competing as an individual neutral athlete, won the silver, while Frenchman Thibault Anselment took bronze.
FOLLOW CATALAN NEWS ON WHATSAPP!
Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone