Dominik Zuech is ready. © FISI/Instagram

A South Tyrolean is eager for his Olympic start.

The excitement has been building for days; the (long) wait is finally over for Dominik Zuech. On Saturday, he will compete in the Olympic ski cross competition, starting at 10 a.m. with the qualifying run and then the round of 12 at noon. But his journey is meant to go much further.

February 20, 2026

From: ph

Dominik Zuech will have to wait until the penultimate day of the Olympics to finally unleash his full potential on the ski cross course. On Saturday, he will compete in the qualifying round starting at 10:00 AM. The round of 16 then begins at 12:00 PM. But he hopes his journey will continue, ideally all the way to the final run for the top four, scheduled for 1:10 PM.

Zuech on the immediate preparations for his first Winter Olympics: “We had a few days on the slopes in Livigno and trained mainly at the San Pellegrino Pass. We also managed a visit to the Val di Fiemme for the ski jumping. I met Alex Insam there, a really cool guy.”

Zuech via the Olympic course

Regarding the Livigno race track, the Burggrafenmann native says: “It’s somewhat unique, with a long starting section. In practice, I was particularly impressed by the Canadian Reece Howden in the upper part. But I think 20 racers are in contention for the final. After the first section, the track alternates between straights and corners. It’s a demanding course. Excellent physical condition will be crucial.”

"I have good equipment, and my confidence is high." Dominik Zuech

Zuech is certainly full of energy and is really looking forward to his Olympic race. He laid the foundation with a lot of strength training over the summer and autumn. "I have good equipment, and my confidence is high. Family, friends, and colleagues from my summer job are coming. I'm very happy about that, but on race day I have to block everything out and just concentrate on the races," said the almost 30-year-old.

The 29-year-old is lying in wait. © FISI/OWS

In Livigno, he's staying at a hotel with the other Italian freestyle skiers and is being treated like royalty. He also met freestyle skier Maria Gasslitter (19/St. Ulrich) and watched the slopestyle and big air competitions live. Zuech has certainly taken in a lot from the Milan-Cortina Olympics over the past ten days. "I wasn't just in Val di Fiemme, but also in Antholz when Italy's mixed relay team won the silver medal, and I also spent a whole day in Cortina watching curling," the ski cross racer reports.

"It is important to go full throttle from the qualifying run onwards and leave no stone unturned." Dominik Zuech

On Thursday, Zuech had one last strength training session. Yesterday, he used the day for some free skiing and spent most of it at the racecourse. He attended the women's race and cheered on the Italian team. The goal was to absorb as much information as possible to be ready for race day. Anything can happen in a ski cross competition. "The important thing is to go full throttle from the qualifying run and leave no stone unturned," a focused Zuech knows.

The weather is always unpredictable in Livigno

The weather, as always in Livigno, is a factor of uncertainty. There's a lot of fresh snow, "but the piste workers are doing an excellent job," says the South Tyrolean. Besides World Cup leader Howden, the favorites are certainly Zuech's Trentino teammate Simone Deromedis and the German Florian Wilmsmann. The Frenchman Youri Duplessis-Kergomard and Kevin Drury (Canada) have also already won in the World Cup this year.

South Tyrol will be rooting for Zuech. © Giovanni Zenoni/Pentaphoto

Routine is also essential, and at almost 30 years old, Zuech has plenty of it. Now it's time for him to unleash his killer instinct – the Olympic battle, man against man, will be brutal.