Spain’s Medal Hopes: Milan-Cortina 2026

Gone are the times when dreaming of a medal in the Winter Olympic Games was little less than a chimera for Spain. The three medals achieved between Pieonchang (South Korea) and Beijing (China), through the outstanding performance of Regino Hernández, Javier Fernández and Queralt Castellet, showed the way for a delegation that in Milan-Cortina (February 6-22) breaks the mold with its 20 participants, a record representation, some of them with a resume and recent results that fuel the hope of increasing the Spanish Olympic haul in the traditionally adverse winter events.

The Games will concentrate their sporting activity in up to fifteen different venues spread across eight territories in Italy: Antholz-Anterselva, Bormio, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno, Milan, Predazzo, Tesero and Verona. Milan will take center stage with five different venues: the legendary San Siro stadium, home of the opening ceremony; the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and the Rho Ice Hockey Arena, venues for hockey tournaments; in addition to the Speed ​​Skating Stadium and the Ice Skating Arena, which will host the skating events, both artistic and speed. For its part, Cortina d’Ampezzo has three locations: the Tofane Alpine Skiing Center for alpine skiing; the Sliding Center with the spectacular bobsleigh, skeleton and luge; and the Curling Olympic Stadium, a venue for the specialty of curling. Finally, Verona will put the Olympic icing on the cake with the closing ceremony at the Olympic Arena, the third largest Roman amphitheater in Italy.

Skaters Olivia Smart and Tim Dieck are the first Spanish medal candidates to take action, on Wednesday, February 11, in the free ice dance final. Smart, born in Sheffield (United Kingdom) but naturalized Spanish, was eighth in Beijing 2022 alongside Adrián Díaz, before starting a new stage in her career in 2023, when she began competing alongside Dieck, German but representing Spain. The couple is close to the podiums in Grand Prix events, achieved fifth place in the European Championship and progressed to winning a ‘small medal’ in the World Championship, with Spain’s record included.

A day later, on February 12, the highlight arrives for the Spanish representation in Milan-Cortina, with up to two medal opportunities. The first is based on the performance of Lucas Eguibar, a veteran in these matters. The San Sebastian snowboarder, about to turn 32, faces his fourth Olympic experience, almost nothing, with seventh places in Sochi 2014 and Beijing 2022 as a ceiling. After overcoming a ruptured Achilles tendon, one of the most serious injuries of his career, Eguibar aspires to get closer to the level that allowed him to win world gold in the cross category in 2021.

Also in snowboarding, but in the halfpipe modality, based on acrobatics, Queralt Castellet has serious options to bring joy to Spain, as he did four years ago in Beijing, when he won the silver medal, the fifth medal in Spanish history at the Winter Games and the second greatest success after skier Francisco Fernández Ochoa’s gold in 1972, in the slalom modality.

Spain’s great hopes are rounded out by skier Oriol Cardona, who also aspires to double success in the mountain discipline, a novelty in the Olympic program in Milan-Cortina. The Catalan arrives at the Games with plenty of arguments, since he is the current world and European champion in the sprint event, where he will compete on Thursday, February 19.

In the mixed relay category, which will be held on Saturday, February 21, already in the Olympic epilogue, she competes alongside Ana Alonso from Granada, who has recovered from a torn cruciate ligament against the clock. The couple dreams big after the World Cup silver in 2025 and the European gold in 2024. “We have worked very hard the last nine months, but it has been heard more in the press now and I have not wanted to pay attention to it,” explains Cardona, trying to lower expectations. “We have clear options for a medal,” says his teammate Alonso, without fear of pressure.

Spain’s dreams in these Games are in good hands, with a very notable delegation, which stretches the options of increasing a record of achievements that currently stands at five medals. The legendary skier Francisco Fernández Ochoa inaugurated the chapter of great joys in Sapporo 1972, with a historic gold medal in the slalom. That feat elevated the then 21-year-old young man from Madrid to the category of pioneer, with a success that 54 years later, no Spaniard has yet been able to match.

His sister Blanca would follow the tradition of a unique family two decades later, in Albertville 1992. Silver medal in ski slalom, like her brother. Second great triumph for Spanish winter sport, the last until not so long ago.

Modern hits

It was necessary to wait until Pieonchang 2018 to celebrate another medal. And the brilliance came twice. Two bronzes like two suns, those achieved by Javier Fernández in the figure skating event, the icing on the cake of a career marked by seven European Championships and two World Cups, and by the snowboarder Regino Hernández, in the most unexpected feat in memory.

Queralt Castellet was in Beijing 2022, the last Games to date, the great protagonist with her silver in snowboard halfpipe, which raised Spain’s balance of medals to five, a haul that currently places it in 37th place in the historical medal table. The one from Sabadell will compete in Milan-Cortina to repeat the success and become the best national athlete in the history of the Winter Olympic Games.