Alex Vinatzer and Giovanni Franzoni missed out on a joint medal at the Olympic Games. © APA/afp / DIMITAR DILKOFF

Vinatzer: "I apologized to Giovanni"

Together with Giovanni Franzoni, Alex Vinatzer was aiming for a medal in the team combined event at the Olympic Games and even dreamed of gold. But the South Tyrolean experienced a bitter setback. Afterwards, he took the blame for missing out on the medal.

February 10, 2026

From Bormio

The medal dream in the team combination It turned into a drama for Alex VinatzerThe 26-year-old admitted that the situation had overwhelmed him. "I couldn't handle the pressure. I was incredibly nervous," the man from Val Gardena confessed.

“The Olympics at home are the greatest thing there is for an athlete,” Vinatzer emphasized. Giovanni Franzoni had given him the chance for an Olympic medal. “He put in a superb performance in the downhill, he delivered. Now it was up to me to seize that opportunity. I was standing there at the top, last in front of our home crowd. I had to secure that medal for myself, but also for Giovanni. That put a lot of pressure on me. I wasn't able to perform to my potential,” Vinatzer said.

In the end, only seventh place remains.

The 26-year-old from Wolkenstein only managed the 18th fastest time in the slalom. In the end, Franzoni and Vinatzer dropped back to seventh place. "I apologized to Giovanni," said a completely disappointed Vinatzer. "He deserved the medal. I tried, but I couldn't pull it off."

Alex Vinatzer experienced a bitter experience in Bormio. © ANSA / GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

The slope certainly wasn't the problem. "Nef had just put in a dream run. I didn't want to take too many risks; I wasn't skiing alone, but also for Giovanni. I skied the steep section in a controlled manner; I absolutely wanted to avoid mistakes," Vinatzer analyzed his run. "I knew it would be difficult to beat Nef after his superb run." The goal was at least to stay in the medal positions, but Vinatzer suffered under the pressure to succeed and cracked.

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He lost time not only in the more challenging section at the top, but also in the lower middle section – more than seven-tenths of a second in that area alone. His medal dream was shattered. "I lost far too much time between the second and third split times," Vinatzer admitted. "I wanted to ski easy, but I was skiing far too smoothly," the Val Gardena native explained.

"It's a sad day for me, but life goes on and I will get back up." Alex Vinatzer

“If I had been alone, I probably would have found it easier, would have taken more risks,” said Vinatzer. “Skiing is an individual sport, in the team combined you compete as a team. That's quite a difference, especially emotionally it feels different,” Vinatzer said. “It's a sad day for me, but life goes on and I will get back up,” the Val Gardena native declared. He plans to compete again in the giant slalom on Saturday and in the slalom two days later.

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