Ski mountaineering makes Olympic debut on snowy day as Marianne Fatton of Switzerland wins 1st gold

BORMIO, Italy — They skied uphill through a diamond-shaped pattern and climbed a flight of on-slope stairs in their ski boots. Far from done, they endured more lung-searing climbing, with skis back on, and then a downhill dash to the finish line.

All the while, their course looked like a giant snow globe with Mother Nature adding to the scene.

Now that's an entrance.

The sport of ski mountaineering made its long-awaited Olympics debut Thursday and crowned its first champion at the Milan Cortina Games in Marianne Fatton of Switzerland. Shortly after, Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain followed suit to take the men's race.

A win for them, though, was a win for a niche Alpine sport that traces its roots back to the late 19th century.

''It's a magical day,'' said Fatton, who's also the reigning world champion. "It's history for our sport, and for us as athletes, and it's wonderful.''

With snow falling, Fatton navigated the uphill-then-downhill sprint course in a time of 2 minutes, 59.77 seconds. She edged Emily Harrop of France by 2.38 seconds. Ana Alonso Rodriguez of Spain took bronze as she competed on a torn ACL.

They weren't.

Nikita Filippov finished with the silver, becoming the first individual neutral athlete to earn a medal in Italy. Thibault Anselmet of France captured bronze.

Ski mountaineering, which is called ''skimo'' for short, was voted into the Olympic program in 2021. The falling snow provided the fitting backdrop for a sport that is more than just a sprint. There are also vertical and endurance races. But not at the Olympics.

The compactness of the sprint was ideal for the Winter Games — a quick ski-jaunt up and back down. To be on the medal stand, it took weathering three rounds that last about three or so minutes each — less for the men — and that stretched their fitness to the fullest.

''I think the show today was pretty special," said Harrop, who will be one of the favorites in the mixed team relay event Saturday. ''There was a lot of suspense.''

''There was a lot of pressure," he said of being the favorite. ''I'm relaxed now.''

Filippov, too, was feeling the pressure.

''In the social media, they said, 'Nikita Filippov, it's very important day today for us, because there is no medal, and he is our hope. Main hope,''' Filippov recounted. ''I was telling myself, ‘Just relax, Nikita. Do your thing and a medal will come.'"

He acknowledged the difficulty of not celebrating his country.

''It's OK," said Filippov, who had friends in the stands. "Everybody knows from what country I am. I'm just happy to be here and to have realized my child dream.''

Just being in front of the crowd was a special moment for skimo athletes.

''Standing in the start and seeing the Olympic rings on the hillside got really real,'' said American Anna Gibson, who made it to the semifinal round.

The course made for entertaining theater, resembling almost a snow park of assorted obstacles.

First, the athletes weaved their way through a set pattern before taking off their skis to climb the steps in their ski boots, storing their skis in a backpack. They put them back on for another sprint to the top.

Upon reaching the summit of the course, athletes hopped in the air to rip off their ''skins,'' pieces of fabric on the bottom of the skis that allow athletes to hurry uphill. After that, it was all downhill from there as they flew along the Stelvio course toward the finish line.

''I was just exhausted after the race,'' Fatton said.

It's been a tough road for Alonso Rodriguez just to get to the start line. In September, she was seriously hurt when hit by a car while training on her bike.

''There were times when I thought I was not going to make it,'' she said. ''I've focused on taking it step-by-step.''

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