CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — In a historic display of resilience, Italian skiing icon Federica Brignone captured the Olympic gold medal in the women’s Super-G on Thursday, February 12 2026. The victory marks a crowning achievement for the 35-year-old, coming just ten months after a brutal, career-threatening injury that many feared would end her time on the slopes.
Brignone navigated the technical “Olympia delle Tofane” course in a blistering 1:23.41, edging out France’s Romane Miradoli, who took silver with a time of 1:23.82. Austria’s Cornelia Huetter secured the bronze, while pre-race favorite Sofia Goggia narrowly missed the podium in a highly competitive field.
A Historic Day for Alpine Speed
The Super-G, or “Super Giant Slalom,” is widely considered the most demanding speed discipline in alpine skiing, requiring the raw velocity of downhill racing paired with the technical precision of giant slalom. Today’s Olympic event lived up to that reputation, with high speeds and tight gate sets challenging the world’s elite.
“To win here, at home in Italy, after everything I’ve been through this past year… it’s more than a dream,” Brignone told reporters following her golden run. “I just wanted to ski with my heart today.”
Men’s Super-G: Von Allmen’s Triple Crown
The women’s triumph follows a historic performance in the men’s Super-G held Wednesday in Bormio. Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen cemented his status as a modern legend by winning his third straight Olympic gold medal of the 2026 Games. American Ryan Cochran-Siegle delivered a standout performance to take the silver medal, while Swiss star Marco Odermatt claimed the bronze.
New Safety Standards for the 2025-26 Season
The 2026 Olympic Super-G events are the first major championships conducted under the FIS New Safety Equipment Rules. For the 2025–26 season, the International Ski Federation (FIS) mandated several key equipment updates to protect athletes in high-speed disciplines:
- Mandatory Airbags: Integrated airbag systems are now compulsory for all speed event competitors.
- Cut-Resistant Gear: New requirements for under-suits designed to prevent lacerations during high-speed falls.
- Ski Specifications: Minimum ski lengths remain strictly enforced for MAS racers, though restrictions are relaxed for veteran categories (Women 55+ and Men 65+).
The Evolution of the Discipline
Since its introduction to the Olympic program in 1988, the Super-G has evolved into a “balancing act” of equipment and physics. Modern racers utilize skis typically 205cm to 210cm in length, designed to remain stable at speeds exceeding 60 mph while maintaining enough sidecut to carve through gates that are set further apart than in Giant Slalom but closer than in Downhill.
As the Milano Cortina 2026 Games continue, the focus now shifts to the technical events, but the echoes of Brignone’s comeback and Von Allmen’s dominance will remain the defining stories of the speed circuit.