Nikita Filippov earns AIN silver in ski mountaineering’s Olympic debut

Ski mountaineering awarded its first Olympic medals on Thursday in Bormio, Italy, with heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures setting the scene. Nikita Filippov took silver in the men’s sprint, marking the first 2026 podium finish by an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN).

Filippov, 23, is from Russia but competed as an AIN because athletes from Russia and Belarus are banned from the Olympics; those competitors may still take part as Athlètes Individuels Neutres after approval from the International Olympic Committee. That approval requires proof of no military ties and no support for the war in Ukraine.

Filippov finished second in his semi-final and joined Spain’s Oriol Cardonna Coll (gold) and France’s Thibault Anselmet (bronze) on the podium. Often called “SkiMo,” the discipline blends uphill skiing, climbing and downhill racing on light, thin skis. Racers climb steep slopes, strap skis to their backs to run up stairs, then put skis on again to descend a twisty course, all in under three minutes.

Italy, Bormio

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