She was torn: Lara Della Mea. © Instagram

Italy's tragic ski heroine: But a happy ending?

The final ski race of the Olympic Games is about to begin. On Wednesday, the slalom queen will be crowned in Cortina d'Ampezzo. One Italian skier in particular is in the spotlight.

February 18, 2026

From Cortina d'Ampezzo

You could see Lara Della Mea's conflicting feelings from afar. When Federica Brignone won the gold medal in the giant slalom on Sunday, the 27-year-old Italian was delighted for her teammate in the finish area.

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At the same time, Della Mea had to wipe away a tear or two. Brignone had pushed the Italian from third to fourth place. Della Mea missed out on an Olympic medal by a mere five hundredths of a second.

"Someone has to come in fourth." Lara Della Mea

When the Azzurra later entered the mixed zone, her emotional turmoil was evident. "It really hurts to have missed out on a medal by such a narrow margin. But someone has to finish fourth," said Della Mea.

Impressed by Brignone

Della Mea was deeply impressed by Brignone. "When she started, I knew she would give us every three seconds. It's incredible what she's achieved. Being able to train with such an athlete is a privilege, I'm so happy for her," said Della Mea.

Lara Della Mea is one of Italy's great hopes in the technical field. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

Fourth place was the best result the technical specialist from Friuli has ever achieved. "I'm happy with how I'm skiing right now," Della Mea explained. Will there be a happy ending for her at the Olympics? On Wednesday, she'll be back on the slopes in the slalom – her true signature discipline.

“Slalom is a completely different discipline. If I approach it like giant slalom, then we’ll see what happens. Anything can happen in a race like that,” Della Mea outlines his strategy.

The dryer is included.

In the slalom, which starts at 10 a.m. (1st run), Anna Trocker from South Tyrol will also be there. For the 17-year-old, this is her second Olympic appearance, after she performed admirably in the team combined event.