Vlhová & Shiffrin: 2026 Olympics & Cortina World Ski Championships

BRATISLAVA – During the 2026 Olympic Games, the eyes of Slovak fans will focus mainly on alpine skiing, in addition to hockey.

Their anticipation will peak on February 16, when Petra Vlhová should announce whether she will go on the track two days later to defend the Olympic gold from Beijing in the slalom. Slovakia will have a fourfold representation among skiers, but only one place among men.

The men’s competitions at the Games in Italy will be held in Bormio and the women’s in Cortina d’Ampezzo. There are five different disciplines on the program – downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom. The fifth is the team combination, which will experience its Olympic debut.

Alpine skiing in its Olympic form is almost a century old, it debuted under five circles at the 1936 Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Disciplines have been modified over the years, but individual competitions such as downhill and slalom have remained.

In downhill and super-G, only one lap is run. Two in giant slalom and slalom, while the first 30 competitors from the first round will start in the opposite order in the second. After them, the remaining competitors who finish outside the elite thirty after the 1st round will try for the best final position.

The team combination consists of two-member teams, where one competitor will start in the downhill and the other in the slalom, their combined times will then determine the final result.

Petra’s return

Slovak hopes will rest on Vlhová, who has not raced for more than two years. Recently, however, after injuring her knee, she was given the go-ahead by the doctors for a full skiing load. He will make the final decision on whether he will defend the gold medal in the slalom under five rings 48 hours before the start of this discipline.

The 30-year-old skier returned to the slopes in October after a long convalescence caused by knee surgery. She suffered the injury at her home giant slalom race in Jasná on January 20, 2024. After subsequent rehabilitation, her condition did not improve enough for her to race again, so she underwent a medical procedure for the second time.

She returned to the slopes under the leadership of Matej Gemza, who became her new head coach. “After two very demanding years, this is really great news for me. Considering the current situation, it sounds a bit crazy, but despite the short time until the Olympics, I decided to fight for the possibility of starting.

I cannot guarantee that I will be able to fulfill this goal, but I can promise that I will do my best every single day in order to have the opportunity to be part of the Slovak Olympic team and represent our country.

I will train intensively, go day by day and watch how my knee reacts to this load. With respect for my body, I will reserve the final decision for 48 hours before the start of the slalom race.” she stated in mid-January.

The second start at the Olympics awaits Rebeka Jančová. The twenty-two-year-old Slovak does not yet know in which discipline she will start.

“We still don’t know if we will also go downhill, our primary goal is to start in the super-G and giant slalom. We are very well prepared for the slalom, and Rebeka can show very good performance in it. The technical performance is very good, she still has reserves in terms of physical readiness. But she is only 22 years old and will gradually get to a better level. She is close to breaking through to the 2nd round,” said her coach Filip Baláž.

Žampa wants to improve the 16th place from China

Andreas Žampa will start under the five rings for the fourth time, but for the first time his older brother Adam will be missing by his side. It will be presented in the only discipline in the giant slalom. In Beijing 4 years ago, he finished in 16th place in this discipline.

“I believe that I can improve the 16th place. I did everything to be in this situation. To be 100% healthy, mentally and physically ready, which I am. I believe that February 14th will be a great day and we’ll see how it ends.” he said before leaving for Italy. The fourth skier in the Slovak expedition is Katarína Šrobová.

There are several favorites for gold. Among women, Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn are the two most successful female skiers of all time. Shiffrinová has no competition in the slalom in the World Cup this season, and in advance she won a small globe for the victory in the discipline. However, he will also attack in the giant slalom.

Her compatriot, 41-year-old Vonn, will grind her teeth for gold in the downhill and super-G. Both could meet on the same team in a team combination. However, Vonn suffered an injury last week after falling in a downhill in Switzerland. She stated that she will be fine by the start of the convention. However, the American team also includes downhill world champion Breezy Johnson and defending super-G silver medalist from Beijing Ryan Cochran-Siegle.

The local Italians also have a strong team led by Sofia Goggio and Federica Brignone, who only recently returned to the slopes after an injury. Christof Innerhofer and Dominik Paris will start at the Olympics for the fifth time.

Marco Odermatt, the leader of the overall ranking of the SP, is also among the hot followers for the triumph. The 28-year-old Swiss is already one of the most successful skiers of all time. He will defend the Olympic gold in the giant slalom.

He is also a three-time world champion and a 53-time World Cup winner, which is the eighth best result in history. In this SP season, he is also the leader in the downhill, super-G and “turnaround”. Together with the team combination, he is among the favorites to win four gold medals.

The men’s downhill will take place on February 7, the women’s downhill on February 8, the men’s giant slalom is scheduled for February 14, the women will go a day later. The men’s slalom is on February 16, while the women’s slalom on February 18 is the last alpine discipline.

Memorable moments of the Olympic Games

There are several memorable moments of the Olympic Games. France’s Jean-Claude Killy won gold in all three men’s events on home snow at the 1968 Grenoble Games. At 18, Shiffrin became the youngest slalom gold medalist at the 2014 Sochi Games. Austria’s Hermann Maier recovered from a terrifying downhill fall at the 1998 Nagano Games to go on to win gold in the super-G and giant slalom.

The most recognized Italian skier in the history of the Olympic Games is Alberto Tomba with five medals. Three golds and two silvers won in Calgary in 1998, Albertville in 1992 and Lillehammer in 1994. Although Tomba is from the Bologna area, he spent many winters training in Cortina.

Deborah Compagnoni was born in Bormio and grew up just around the corner in Santa Caterina di Valfurva. She won gold medals at three consecutive Olympic Games – 1992, 1994 and 1998.

• Author: © List/
• Source: TASR