Aaron Kostner in the snowstorm of Tesero. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Fourth place! South Tyrol's Nordic combined athletes put on a spectacular show.

What a spectacular cross-country skiing race that was! South Tyrol's Nordic combined athletes, Samuel Costa and Aaron Kostner, once again demonstrated their strengths in the Olympic team sprint.

February 19, 2026

From: dl

After finishing 11th in ski jumping It was clear to the two Val Gardena natives that they would likely no longer be in contention for a medal in Thursday afternoon's cross-country race in Tesero. However, Samuel Costa (33) and Aaron Kostner (26) improved their position by seven places by the end of the day, finishing fourth in the team sprint. They missed out on a medal by 41 seconds.

The two South Tyroleans know the cross-country ski trails in the Val di Fiemme like the back of their hand. In difficult conditions and heavy snowfall, each athlete had to complete 7,5 kilometers. They switched every 1,5 kilometers. At one point, with about five kilometers to go, Kostner closed the gap to within a few meters of the leading group of the top five before they then increased their pace.

Debacle for Germany: Vincent Geiger (here in 4th place) and Johannes Rydzek also fell behind Italy. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Kostner and Costa couldn't keep up with the incredible pace at the front, having to make up almost a minute and a half beforehand. However, they remained dominant against Japan in the snowstorm of Tesero. In the end, Costa (competing in the last race of his career) snatched fourth place in the final sprint against the German Vincent Geiger, who had crashed twice a few kilometers earlier – a truly remarkable achievement.

Debacle for Germany

While the thoroughly disappointed German Nordic combined team once again went home empty-handed from the Olympics, Norway secured their third gold medal. Andreas Skoglund and Jens Luraas Oftebro won in a sprint finish ahead of the Finns Eero Hirvonen and Ilkka Herola. Bronze went to the Austrians Stefan Rettenegger and Johannes Lamparter. The German Nordic combined team suffered an Olympic debacle, finishing the Winter Games without a medal for the first time since 1998.

Nordic Combined: Team Sprint