Bobsled pilot Patrick Baumgartner with his fiancée Greta. © Instagram

Patrick Baumgartner: "Now they're getting married"

In the very last Olympic competition in Cortina d'Ampezzo on Sunday, South Tyrolean bobsled pilot Patrick Baumgartner was right up there with the leaders. But it wasn't enough for the ultimate prize, a medal. Now, however, a personal highlight awaits him.

February 22, 2026

From Cortina d'Ampezzo

The Eugenio Monti track, this serpentine ice channel in the heart of Cortina d'Ampezzo, has brought a flood of emotions to South Tyrolean sport in recent days – just think of the medal displays by our luge athletes. But there was still an ace up the sleeve on the very last day of competition. Not in luge, but in bobsleigh.

Patrick Baumgartner, Italy's best pilot, traveled to the Olympic venue with justified medal hopes, having already reached the podium once this year in the World Cup with his four-man bobsled and come close several other times. But in the end, the ultimate triumph eluded him: The athlete from Pfalzen and his brakemen Lorenzo Bilotti, Robert Mircea, and Eric Fantazzini finished in the fall. in fifth place.

Patrick Baumgartner (front right) at the start. © FELICE CALABRO' / Felice Calabro'

“Of course, there’s a lot of disappointment now,” Baumgartner said afterwards. “We really wanted the medal, but we were aware that the level of competition was extremely high.” Unsurprisingly, gold and silver went to Germany (Johannes Lochner and Francesco Friedrich, respectively), while Switzerland, piloted by Michael Vogt, snatched bronze, knocking the third German bobsled, driven by Adam Ammour, off the podium in the fourth and final run.

"A fifth place is still good." Patrick Baumgartner

“I’m happy for the Swiss rider, he deserved the bronze,” said Baumgartner, but added immediately: “We could have been in his position! This season we’ve often battled for the podium or fourth place, so we were on the same level. But over these two days he was just a little bit better than us, and we have to accept that.” The 31-year-old also emphasized: “Fifth place is still good! Unfortunately, we were just 25 hundredths of a second short in the end.”

Now he is looking forward to the wedding.

For Baumgartner, the season is now over; no more World Cup races are on the schedule. However, the athlete from Pfalzen has set his sights on a completely different project. He will marry his long-time girlfriend, Greta Passler, in June. Greta, along with her sister and fellow biathlete Rebecca Passler, was in the finish area on Sunday, cheering on Patrick during his Olympic appearance.

"We already decided during our engagement that the wedding would take place after the Olympics." Patrick Baumgartner

“We got engaged on a beach two years ago; she was a little surprised. But we decided back then that the wedding would take place after the Olympic Games,” said Baumgartner, who added: “There’s still a lot of work ahead of us, a lot to plan. But I’m looking forward to that day.”

The dream of an Olympic medal lives on

Besides the wedding, one other thing is certain for Baumgartner: "These will not be my last Olympic Games! Physically, I'm in excellent shape, so I hope I still have some good years ahead of me." The dream of an Olympic medal will therefore continue for Patrick Baumgartner even after the 2026 Winter Games.