The big Olympics summary: What was great, what was a flop?

Top Double gold within 64 minutes: No one would have dared to dream of such an evening. Just over an hour separated two runs that went down in history on Wednesday, February 11th. In the Cortina Sliding Centre Eugenio Monti, the ice track built for the Olympic Games, Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer first defended their lead at the halfway point, becoming the first Olympic champions in their discipline. Shortly afterward, Simon Kainzwaldner and Emanuel Rieder crowned their comeback from third place with the gold medal. South Tyrol's luge aces (here Marion Oberhofer and Andrea Vötter) delivered a convincing performance across the board. © ANSA / JURE MAKOVEC

A fairytale story that only sport can write – and one that would never have unfolded without luge legend and visionary Armin Zöggeler. The head of luge racing consistently advocated for a dedicated ice track and was closely involved in the planning and construction of the facility. In March 2025, the athletes trained there for the first time and, thanks to their new "home," were able to approach their preparations with unprecedented intensity. The haul of two Olympic gold medals and bronze medals for Dominik Fischnaller and in the team relay speaks for itself.

Biathlon fairytale in Antholz: For the first time in the history of the Winter Games, Olympic competitions were held on South Tyrolean soil. The silver medal won by Dorothea Wierer and Lukas Hofer in the mixed relay in Antholz on Sunday, February 8th, was therefore a unique start, not only from a sporting perspective. Alongside Lisa Vittozzi, who would later win gold in the pursuit, and Tommaso Giacomel, Wierer and Hofer were only beaten by the French team. For the duo, the past few weeks have come full circle: While Wierer ended her illustrious career on home soil with a strong fifth-place finish in the mass start, Hofer, in the last Olympic race of his career, became the sole record holder with 28 Olympic appearances. How much longer the Montal native will remain on the World Cup circuit is still uncertain – the silver medal in Antholz shines particularly brightly in his trophy cabinet.

Final piece of the puzzle: Dominik Paris had already competed in nine Olympic races, but before the competitions on his beloved Stelvio in Bormio, he had been denied a medal under the five rings. His best result had been a disappointing fourth place in the downhill at Pyeongchang eight years earlier – until Saturday, February 7th. In the premier discipline, his time of 1:52.11 minutes was worth bronze, finally bringing him the long-awaited medal. Giovanni Franzoni (left) and Dominik Paris beamed with joy in Bormio. © APA / EXPA/ JOHANN GRODER

On the podium, he beamed alongside teammate Giovanni Franzoni and the new downhill Olympic champion Franjo von Allmen. World champion and small crystal globe in the Super-G, Olympic medal in the downhill, and the most successful speed skier in Italian skiing history: what more could one ask for? "Yes, it's one of the most beautiful moments of my life," Paris himself enthused.

Artists on the ice: In a figure skating thriller of a kind rarely seen even at the Olympics, Daniel Grassl and his teammates achieved something historic: For the first time, a medal went to Italy in the team event on Sunday, February 8th. Alongside Lara Naki Gutmann, Sara Conti/Niccolò Macii, Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri, and Matteo Rizzo, the 23-year-old from Merano secured the bronze medal. Grassl laid the foundation for their success with his composure in the short program, while in the free skate, he cheered on Rizzo. Visibly moved, the 2022 European Championship silver medalist stood on the podium in Milan – and savored the greatest achievement of his career to the fullest.

Milan Cortina ranks directly behind Lillehammer (1994).

Flop The Vinatzer debacle: His third Olympic appearance was one to forget: Alex Vinatzer failed to finish both the slalom and giant slalom, and the team combined event was a disastrous day for the Wolkenstein native. After his teammate Giovanni Franzoni put the Italian team in a promising position with the fastest time in the downhill, the 26-year-old's nerves failed him. "I couldn't handle the pressure. I was incredibly nervous," Vinatzer finally admitted. "I was standing up there, last in line, in front of our home crowd. I had to secure that medal for myself, and for Giovanni too. That just weighed heavily on me." Mature and honest words from a defeated hero.

Doping chaos in Antholz: The first bombshell dropped just four days before the opening of the Olympic Games. Biathlete Rebecca Passler tested positive for the banned substance letrozole and was immediately suspended. For the athlete from Antholz, her world collapsed; her dream of competing in the Olympics "on home" suddenly seemed a world away. Rebecca Passler has had a tough few weeks. © ANSA / MARTIN METELKO

The way the 24-year-old was treated was more than questionable. She learned of her suspension through social media. Her initial appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the ban was rejected on the grounds that the CAS lacked jurisdiction – that, it was the responsibility of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO). So Passler's lawyers contacted NADO. Successfully: the suspension was lifted, and Passler was allowed to return to competition venues. However, she never competed again.

No medals in snowboarding: Snowboarders Roland Fischnaller and Aaron March traveled to Livigno as strong medal favorites – but they returned home with a mixture of frustration and immense disappointment. After a dominant qualifying round, in which the two South Tyroleans finished first and second, world champion Fischnaller was eliminated in the quarterfinals by South Korea's Sangkyum Kim, just a few gates from the finish. For March, the competition ended even earlier against Slovenia's Tim Mastnak. Particularly bitter: Fischnaller has won everything in his career, which he will end at the end of the season – except for an Olympic medal. And that's in seven appearances. "The Olympics are like a beast I just can't tame," he aptly put it. Fischnaller had three season victories and one second-place finish before the Olympics, while March triumphed once and stood on the podium four more times. But at the most crucial moment of the season, fate was not on the side of the two snowboarding aces.

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The big Olympics summary: What was great, what was a flop?

The 25th edition of the Winter Olympics is behind us – and from a South Tyrolean perspective, it was a historic event. Seven medals represent the second-best haul in history; only in Lillehammer in 1994 were South Tyrolean winter athletes more successful with eight medals. An Olympic summary.

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