Federico Pellegrino repeats: podium-bis for blue flag bearer
The success on the snows of Davos fades by three hundredths, but there is nevertheless, again, the joy of the podium for Federico Pellegrino, who in Saturday’s sprint has to surrender only to Lucas Chanavat, unoco to anticipate him at the finish line. For the Italian, however, there remains the satisfaction of the ninth career podium on the Swiss track, the scene of four of his victories and another second place on Friday, in the team sprint. On the third step of the podium goes Norway’s Oskar Vike. For Pellegrino, who will be one of the Italian flag bearers at Milan-Cortina 2026 (specifically, he will be in Milan along with Arianna Fontana) it is yet another satisfaction of a brilliant career.
Regarding the day’s performance, two Italians landed in the semifinals: Pellegrino, author of the best time in the quarterfinals (2’19″54) after settling Norwegian Erik Valnes, and Davide Graz, qualified as a lucky loser thanks. Stopping early, however, were Simone Mocellini, Martino Carollo and Michael Hellweger, in a Saturday that saw, among other things, the resounding elimination in the quarters of Johannes Klaebo, a big favorite on the eve of the event. In the semifinals Pellegrino confirmed his experience as a sprinter, threading the right line before the last straight behind Chanavat and gaining access to the final. Graz, on the other hand, saw his chances vanish due to a crash at the last corner while fighting for fourth place.
Pellegrino will be one of the four Italian flag bearers in the opening ceremony of Milan-Cortina 2026: Coni, in fact, wanted to select two pairs of representative sportsmen to carry the tricolor banner in the two main locations of the Winter Olympic Games. The 35-year-old cross-country skier will pair up with Arianna Fontana, the short track champion, in Milan, while Cortina will feature alpine skier Federica Brignone (waiting to see if she will also be able to compete after her serious injury last spring) and Amos Mosaner, a member of the duo that first gave curling the Olympic gold medal, in 2022.
Back in Davos, the women’s race was also resolved in a photo finish: victory for Sweden’s Jonna Sundling, who edged out Norway’s Mathilde Myhrvold by just eight hundredths. Third place went to Switzerland’s Nadine Faendrich, trailing by 2″60. All out in the quarters were the Italians: Iris De Martin Pinter and Nicole Monsorno (fifth and sixth in their battery, with Monsorno penalized by a yellow card for obstruction), and Federica Cassol, narrowly excluded in her battery.
The stage on the Swiss snows thus delivers a valuable podium to Pellegrino and more than encouraging signs to the blue cross-country, with Graz competitive until the semifinals. Among the women, on the other hand, there remains regret for elimination in the quarters, but also the awareness of a young group growing in view of the Olympic Games.
