Pho3nix Athletes Make History at Milano Cortina

Athletes from the Pho3nix Athlete Program delivered landmark performances at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Eleven athletes representing nine nations competed across seven sports, earning a historic Olympic gold medal, a bronze medal, and multiple Top 10 finishes, marking the most successful Winter Olympic outcome in the program’s history and building on the momentum established at Beijing 2022.

Cardona Coll Strikes Gold in Olympic Debut for Ski Mountaineering

Skyrunner-turned-ski mountaineer Oriol Cardona Coll (ESP) led the charge as ski mountaineering made its Olympic debut. Already a two-time world champion in the sprint discipline, Cardona Coll had secured Spain’s quota by winning the official test event. On the slopes of Vallecetta, he delivered when it mattered most: winning his preliminary heat, placing second in the semifinal, and then powering to gold in the final in 2:34.03.

The victory secured not only the first men’s Olympic gold medal in ski mountaineering, but also Spain’s first Winter Olympic gold medal since 1972.

Cardona Coll added to his medal tally in the Mixed Relay, partnering with Ana Alonso Rodriguez to claim bronze after clawing the team back into contention during the final leg.

Maximilien Drion (BEL) also impressed, finishing fifth in the semifinals to place ninth overall in the Men’s Sprint.

Experienced Olympians Deliver

Returning Olympians brought their leadership and resilience to Milano Cortina.

Donovan Carrillo (MEX), a finalist in Beijing and his nation’s Opening Ceremony flagbearer, captivated the crowd in the Men’s Figure Skating Singles. Performing to a medley of Elvis Presley hits, he recorded a season’s best free skate score of 143.50 to rank 19th in the category, and finished 22nd overall.

Snowboarder Emily Arthur (AUS) made her third Olympic appearance in the Women’s Halfpipe, finishing 24th after choosing to push for high-difficulty runs rather than playing it safe.

Anastasiia Shepilenko (UKR) competed in four Alpine Skiing events. Despite recording DNFs in Super-G and Slalom, she finished 32nd in Downhill and 39th in Giant Slalom.

Ski jumper Alex Insam (ITA) fulfilled his Olympic ambitions once again after narrowly missing Beijing qualification. He finished 45th in the Normal Hill, 35th in the Large Hill, and secured two Top 10 team results: 10th in the Mixed Team and 10th in the Men’s Super Team.

Izabela Marcisz (POL) delivered strong performances in cross-country skiing, finishing 12th in the 4×7.5km Relay and 11th in the Team Sprint Skate, alongside 37th in the Sprint Classic and 40th in the 10km Skate.

Debutants Rise to the Occasion

Milano Cortina also marked the Olympic debut for several Pho3nix-supported athletes.

Freestyle snowboarder Jakub Hrones (CZE) finished 28th in Big Air and 21st in Slopestyle, while alpine snowboarder Maria Bukowska-Chyc (POL) placed 27th in the Parallel Giant Slalom.

Bobsleigh Closes the Games

As one of the final sports of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, bobsleigh set the stage for strong finishes.

Brakewoman Nadja Pasternack (SUI) qualified with pilot Melanie Hasler through to Heat 4 in the 2-Woman competition, finishing 6th in the medal run.

Pilot Sarah Blizzard (AUS), competing in her Olympic debut after serving as a reserve in Beijing, finished 21st in Heat 3 alongside brakewoman Desi Johnson. In qualifying for the Olympics next to fellow Aussie crew Bree Walker and Kiara Reddingus, Blizzard and Johnson helped make Australia a two-crew nation for the first time.

Blizzard’s Pho3nix-funded sled also featured in the Netherlands’ 2-Man Bobsleigh competition. Dave Wesselink and Jelen Franjic used the borrowed sled to advance to Heat 4, finishing 10th overall.

Celebrating Pho3nix Alumni

The Pho3nix Foundation also congratulates the following alumni from the Pho3nix Athlete Program Beijing 2022 intake on their performances in Milano Cortina:

• Aleksandra Krol-Walas (POL), Snowboard – 7th, Women’s Parallel Giant Slalom
• Michal Nowaczyk (POL), Snowboard – 23rd, Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom
• Ali Nullmeyer (CAN), Alpine Skiing – 16th, Women’s Slalom
• Lukas Britschgi (SUI), Figure Skating – 14th, Men’s Singles
• Timothy Loubineaud (FRA), Speed Skating – 4th, Men’s 10,000m; 5th, Men’s 5,000m; 5th, Men’s Team Pursuit; 11th, Men’s Mass Start
• Kaja Ziomek (POL), Speed Skating – 6th, Women’s 500m
• Maciej Staręga (POL), Cross Country Skiing – 13th, Men’s Team Sprint Free; 40th, Men’s Sprint Classic; 81st, Men’s 10km Interval Start

Milano Cortina 2026 stands as a defining chapter for the Pho3nix Athlete Program – not only for medal success but also for the depth, breadth, and competitive impact of these athletes across disciplines and continents. The program exists to fund underserved athletes in pursuit of their Olympic and Paralympic dreams, providing the support needed to reach sport’s highest stage.

With the Winter Games complete, attention now turns to the future: applications for LA 2028 are officially open.