Nikita Filippov has claimed second place in the ski mountaineering sprint, competing under a neutral flag
Russian skier Nikita Filippov secured silver in the men’s ski mountaineering sprint at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday, becoming the first athlete competing under a neutral flag to win a medal at the 2026 Games.
Filippov, 23, finished the course in Bormio just 1.52 seconds behind gold medalist Oriol Cardona Coll of Spain. France’s Thibault Anselmet took bronze in ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut. It is the first new Winter Olympic sport since snowboarding was added in 1998.
Ski mountaineering, or ‘skimo,’ combines uphill and downhill racing. Athletes sprint up a steep incline with ‘skins’ on their skis for traction, then remove their skis and climb a stairway with them strapped to their backs. After a final uphill section, they shed the ‘skins’ and ski downhill to the finish. The race usually lasts about three minutes.
Filippov was one of 13 Russian athletes cleared by the International Olympic Committee to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) in this year’s Games. Russian and Belarusian competitors have been barred from most international sports since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and have been restricted from using their national flags, anthems or emblems, or attending the opening ceremony.
The trend, however, has been reversing in recent months. In December, Russia and Belarus won an appeal against the International Ski Federation at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, allowing their athletes to compete and earn ranking points, paving the way for Filippov’s Olympic qualification.
The International Paralympic Committee has also confirmed this week that six Russian and four Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete under their national flags at the upcoming Paralympics in March, marking the first time Russian flags will appear at a Paralympic Games since Sochi 2014.
