Eternal Roland Fischnaller: strong signal ahead of Milan Cortina 2026
Roland Fischnaller continues to rewrite the history of alpine snowboarding and sends a very clear message ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. In fact, at 45 years old, the Italian veteran also conquered the parallel gogante slalom in Simonhöhe, Austria, overtaking home idol Fabian Obmann in the final and thus winning his third race of the season after having already triumphed in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Scuol. Third after qualifying, Roland then shifted into top gear, ending the race day on a high note.
In the semifinals the 1980-class athlete had crossed paths with friend and fellow national team member Aaron March, himself the protagonist of a season of the highest level. March, who was eliminated by Roland, then consoled himself by winning the small final against Sangho Lee of Korea, giving Italy a double podium finish in the Austrian event. For Fischnaller, on the other hand, the success in Simonhöhe represents triumph number 25 in his career, accompanied by 55 total podiums won over a 16-year career at the highest level.
Beyond today’s result, the Italian dominance is also confirmed in the rankings: March leads the overall standings with 515 points, followed by Maurizio Bormolini at 491, who was held back today by being eliminated in the round of 16. Still March also commands the parallel giant slalom ranking with 410 points, while Bormolini remains provisional leader of the parallel slalom with 132. Also of note in the Simonhöhe race were Tommy Rabanser’s eighth place and Edwin Coratti’s ninth. Out of the qualifiers Messner, Bagozza, Felicetti, Santuari, Hofer, Lantschner and Haller.
Among the women, Ester Ledecka’s return coincided instead with an immediate victory: the Czech dominated the final against Michelle Dekker of the Netherlands, while Zuzana Maderova completed the podium by overcoming Japan’s Tsubaki Miki. Lucia Dalmasso, on the other hand, was the best Italian, with a more than decent fifth place.
Jasmin Coratti then finished in eighth place, Elisa Caffont in 12th, Sofia Valle in 25th and Elisa Fava in 30th. Caffont still retains the overall and parallel slalom leadership, while in the parallel giant slalom she is second. On Saturday, January 24, the program will feature the team parallel giant slalom, another opportunity for Italy to make its mark.
