Deromedis Delivers Dream Gold as Italy takes Ski Cross 1 -2 in Home Upset

Simone Deromedis claimed the Milano Cortina 2026 men's ski cross title in a sensational race on Saturday, storming to the front after the first jump of the Big Final and maintaining his lead throughout to win gold in front of a delirious home crowd at Livigno Snow Park.

In a result that will thrill fans of the home nation, Federico Tomasoni won silver after passing Switzerland's bronze-winner Alex Fiva on the line by just 0.21 seconds in a photo finish. This was a historic day for Team Italy, with Deromedis winning the nation's first-ever gold in freestyle skiing, while the 1-2 finish marked Italy's greatest triumph in the discipline.

Five days after Italy ended a 34-year wait for a maiden Olympic Freestyle Skiing podium finish, they celebrated an extra two medals in the space of 0.21 seconds

The competition was turned on its head when defending champion Ryan Regez failed in the semi-final and after receiving a yellow card, was ultimately not allowed to compete in the small final and was classified in 8th place . In the second semi-final, Regez took control and skied into the lead on the top section, with Furuno Satoshi in second

But disaster struck. Regez makes a mistake! He loses the lead, and then chaos breaks out. Fiva crosses the line in first, followed by Furuno. Regez gets a yellow card, but the result stands. The 2022 gold medalist's title defense ended in heartbreak before he could even reach the final.

In perhaps an even bigger shock, World Cup leader Reece Howden was eliminated in the quarterfinals . The 27-year-old Canadian, who entered as the overwhelming favorite while leading the World Cup standings by 133 points, never made it past the knockout rounds in what was described as a particularly unpredictable competition.

Conditions became very challenging at the Livigno Snow Park, as heavy snowfall made it harder to find speed on the course creating an unforgiving test that caught out several favorites. On a piste made very slow by weather conditions, the competition was particularly unpredictable

There's a real hush at the start of the big final, as the skiers prepare for the gate to drop. Deromedis gets a fantastic start! He takes the lead followed by Switzerland's Alex Fiva and teammate Federico Tomasoni Deromedis increases his gap through the next section, but Fiva tries his best to close it

There's no catching the Italian skier, however, as he drags himself over the final jump, crossing the finish line first to win gold

Two athletes were competing in their first Olympic final, Federico Tomasoni and Satoshi Furuno The Japanese skier's appearance in the big final was one of the day's major surprises, though he ultimately finished fourth.

For 40-year-old Alex Fiva from Graubünden, bronze marked his second Olympic medal after winning silver in Beijing Not much was missing and it would have been second place again. However, the photo finish went against the Swiss by a wafer-thin margin and in favor of the Italian Federico Tomason

The young Italian Simone Deromedis was the youngest competitor in the men's ski cross event at Beijing 2022, where he finished in fifth place. Now 25, the world champion from 2023 finally claimed his Olympic crown.

"For the first time in history we did the first race of the season, one or two, the double podium is absolute, and to do it at the Olympics, I want to say it's great, better than this, we couldn't go," Deromedis said

"I didn't start with the expectation of winning, because in the first days I struggled a bit to ride on the track, even this morning on the training that didn't go so well. Then all things came together, we were also very fast in terms of equipment, so everything went as it should," he added.

In winning gold, Deromedis replicated Regez's Beijing 2022 feat, when he took gold after winning the last World Cup race before the Olympics . Deromedis finally won a World Cup on home snow in his last start at Val di Fassa last month, ending a six-year wait.

With the historic 1-2 finish, Italy's medal tally at Milano Cortina 2026 rose to 29, including 10 golds, cementing these home Games as one of the nation's most successful Winter Olympics ever.