Military athletes drive the Olympic medal story across four days at Milano Cortina 2026

MILAN / CORTINA D’AMPEZZO (ITA) — Between 12 and 15 February, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games entered a decisive phase and athletes in uniform became central protagonists across nearly every type of winter discipline. From alpine speed to biathlon precision, sliding sports, Nordic relays and snowboard cross, the four-day stretch produced a succession of podium finishes confirming the competitive depth of military sport programmes.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games continue to produce defining moments for athletes in uniform, where performance, resilience and emotion combine to shape the Olympic narrative. Over several days of competition, military competitors stood at the centre of the spotlight across alpine skiing, biathlon, sliding sports, speed skating, skeleton, short track and snowboard cross.

The sequence opened on the Tofane slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Italy’s Federica Brignone attacked the Super-G with commitment and confidence, skiing aggressively yet cleanly to secure Olympic gold. Returning from injury, her victory carried particular emotional weight and immediately set the tone for the days ahead. Behind her, France’s Sgt Romane Miradoli delivered a powerful run to earn silver, proving her consistency in high-speed alpine racing where margins are counted in hundredths of a second.

A few days later, Brignone returned to the start gate and confirmed her dominance by winning gold again in the women’s giant slalom. The Carabinieri champion thus completed a remarkable Olympic double, mastering two different alpine disciplines through technical precision and controlled risk. In the same race, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt claimed silver in the men’s giant slalom, while teammate Loïc Meillard added bronze, underlining once again the strength of military-linked alpine programmes on the Olympic stage.

Italy’s momentum continued in Anterselva where Lisa Vittozzi produced a composed and authoritative race in the 10 km pursuit biathlon. Perfect shooting and steady pace allowed the Carabinieri athlete to claim a historic Olympic gold following her earlier medal in the mixed relay, reinforcing her position among the leading figures of the competition.

France remained constantly present in the medal story. France’s Océane Michelon captured silver in biathlon through controlled shooting, while SGT Lou Jeanmonnot added bronze after a tense final stage decided at the targets. On the endurance tracks, SGT Hugo Lapalus contributed to a relay silver in cross-country skiing as the only military athlete in the French team, illustrating once again the importance of teamwork in Nordic events.

Italy also featured strongly in the men’s 4x7.5 km cross-country relay, where a military-heavy quartet secured bronze through a collective effort built on depth and discipline: Elia Barp (Fiamme Gialle) and Davide Graz (Fiamme Gialle).

On the snowboard cross circuit, the medal story expanded beyond the mixed team event. Before returning to the podium for mixed team silver, Michela Moioli (Esercito) had already secured an individual bronze in snowboard cross, once again demonstrating her consistency at the highest level. In the mixed team competition, France’s SDT Casta also contributed to a bronze-medal finish, adding another result to the French military contingent’s strong four-day run.

Sliding sports delivered another major cluster of military-linked results. On 12 February, Germany celebrated gold in the luge team relay with Tobias Wendl, Dajana Eitberger and Max Langenhan, while Italy captured bronze in the mixed team relay through Dominik Fischnaller (Carabinieri), Simon Kainzwaldner (Carabinieri), Emanuel Rieder (Carabinieri), Marion Oberhofer (Esercito) and Andrea Vötter (Esercito). These performances added to Italy’s already historic luge achievements during the Games and highlighted the strategic importance of military structures in sliding disciplines.

Meanwhile, in skeleton, Germany’s Susanne Kreher delivered two podium performances in quick succession, taking silver in the women’s event and returning the next day to claim another silver in the mixed team event — a notable demonstration of consistency across formats.

On the speed skating oval, Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida continued her exceptional Games by controlling the 5,000 metres and securing another Olympic title through perfectly managed pacing.

Across four days and multiple venues, a consistent pattern emerged: success based on execution, preparation and resilience under pressure. Whether racing downhill at high speed, gliding across snow, navigating ice tracks, or controlling breathing at the shooting range, military athletes repeatedly demonstrated the capacity to perform when the Olympic stakes were highest.

As Milano Cortina 2026 progresses toward its final phase, the performances recorded during this period confirm that athletes in uniform are not only participants but key actors of the Games, continuing to embody commitment, resilience and the spirit of Friendship through Sport.

(Source: CISM Media & Communication Department - Pictures: Ministero Della Difesa - Equipe de France Olympique et Paralympique, Team Deutschland, Swiss Olympic Team)