Nadia Delago: An Olympic day without a (happy) ending

It was a long, not to say endless, Olympic day for Nadia Delago. A happy ending eluded the Val Gardena native, but she was genuinely happy for a fellow South Tyrolean.

February 07, 2026

From Cortina d'Ampezzo

From:
Thomas Debelyak

It was the talk of the entire South Tyrolean sports world this Saturday: Dominik Paris won his long-awaited first Olympic medal, the bronze in the downhill in Bormio. The popular athlete from Ultental charmed not only the fans but also his fellow competitors.

Dorothea Wierer sends her congratulations from Antholz already mentioned, and Nadia Delago was also cheering on Domme – in a curious way, as she was seen in the finish area of the Tofana ski slope opposite SportNews explained.

Nadia Delago will have to watch from the sidelines on Sunday. © FELICE CALABRO' / Felice Calabro'

But let's start from the beginning. The second and final downhill training run for the women's speed events took place on Saturday. For Nadia Delago, the younger of the two ski sisters, there was still a lot at stake. She was battling with Elena Curtoni and Federica Brignone for the last downhill qualifying spot. which Brignone should ultimately seize.

The Bormio downhill race is being watched in the starting house.

While the Aosta native and Curtoni completed their training as scheduled, Delago fell victim to the weather: Dense fog and snowfall caused the trial run to drag on for what felt like an eternity and was finally called off at 14 p.m. – two and a half hours after the first runner had started. Another 20 minutes passed before Delago finally crossed the finish line. "It was quite a long wait today," said the Val Gardena native.

Dominik Paris won bronze in the downhill on Saturday. © APA/afp / JEFF PACHOUD

The 28-year-old had to spend two and a half hours at the starting gate. However, Delago wasn't completely bored. "I watched the men's downhill. It's just amazing that Domme Paris won the bronze medal. And I'm also very happy about Giovanni Franzoni's silver," said the woman from Wolkenstein.

Nadia (left) is keeping her fingers crossed for her sister Nicol on Sunday. © FELICE CALABRO / Felice Calabro

Delago is no stranger to Olympic medals, having sensationally won bronze in the downhill four years ago in Beijing. This year, however, she won't have a chance to defend it. Nadia will have to watch Sunday's race from the sidelines. "Fede (Brignone) is feeling more confident every day, and she's also done well in the two training runs," Delago said of Brignone, who qualified fourth for the downhill.

The Val Gardena native herself won't miss Sunday's downhill race (starting at 11:30 a.m.). "I'll be there to watch," she revealed. But she won't be cheering on Dominik Paris; instead, she'll be supporting her sister Nicol, who is aiming to make a splash on the Tofana.