After competing in World Cup races, Kenta Uraki returned to the snow in 2018 as head coach of the All Japan Alpine Team. The following year he moved to Innsbruck, Austria, and is now the exclusive distributor of Kessle Ski in Japan. From a global perspective from overseas, he will be bringing you the latest information and interesting topics on European snow culture, gear, and technology
who are both strong and talked about
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will begin on February 6, 2026. While much of the attention tends to be on snowboarding and ski jumping, where Japanese athletes are expected to win medals, alpine skiing is a sport that boasts overwhelming popularity and a long history in Europe
In the Alps, volleyball is a national sport on a par with soccer, and the World Cup is broadcast live on national television. Top players are treated as superstars representing the country
This is the second installment of our special feature on the Olympics, following on from our previous feature on alpine gear. This time, we
focus on the athletes themselves. We will look into the background of their success, unknown anecdotes, and struggles, of athletes who are attracting attention not only for their strength but also for their popularity.
The pressure of remaining the "strongest":
Odermatt and Shiffrin's current position
The current dominant force in men's alpine skiing is Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, who is arguably the favorite to win gold in all three events except the slalom
He won the overall World Cup title for four consecutive years, from 2022 to last season. This season he is again leading the overall points standings by a long way. In the super-G in Kitzbühel on the 23rd of last month, he achieved his 53rd World Cup victory and his 100th podium finish. He is a man of unrivaled potential
In the women's category, Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States is the all-time leader in alpine skiing, having won seven of her eight slalom races this season, bringing her total to an unprecedented 108 World Cup wins, and showing signs of continuing to win
On the other hand, at the last Beijing Olympics, he struggled mentally due to the pressure of the public's expectations and the media attention, and ended up without a medal. Attention will be focused on whether he will be able to get revenge at this tournament
At 40,
Lindsey Vonn returns to the starting gate for her final Olympics
Just hearing the name Lindsey Vonn, a legend in the world of women's alpine skiing, will bring to mind the overwhelming speed that defined an era for many fans
She accumulated 82 World Cup victories while battling repeated injuries, before retiring from the front line and undergoing knee replacement surgery in 2024. The fact that she will be back at the starting gate in 2025, six years after her previous start, at age 40, is shocking in itself
This season, just two years after his return, he has achieved the remarkable feat of winning two World Cup Downhill races. He continues to perform beyond the bounds of his age
However, he recently took a hard fall during his final World Cup downhill event before the Olympics in Switzerland, crashing into the net. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter. Examination results showed a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a bone contusion, and a torn meniscus. Normally, this would be the end of his season, but he commented, "It's not over until it's over," showing his eagerness to compete in the downhill event on Sunday
It would be a miracle just to be able to participate, but if she were to win a medal, it would mean more than just the result
a presence that transcends sport and culture,
has changed the landscape of alpine skiing
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who won the overall World Cup slalom title with Norway in 2023, retired after a dispute with the federation. A year later, he changed his nationality to Brazil, his mother's home country, and returned to the World Cup under the name "Lucas Pinheiro Braathen."
In the first slalom race of the season in Levi, Finland, he became the first Brazilian to win a World Cup title. He boasts world-class skills in slalom and giant slalom
In addition to her impressive skiing skills, she is also attracting new fans to alpine skiing with her presence that transcends fashion and culture. She is also attracting attention as the only active athlete fully supported by the global fashion brand Moncler, and her presence and fashion sense as a model are outstanding
The Olympics, which will be held in Italy, a country at the forefront of fashion, will be the perfect stage for him
the unprecedented two-way
athlete Ledecka make history at the Olympics again?
Czech skier Ester Ledecka is an unprecedented talent competing at the world's top in both skiing and snowboarding
At the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, he won gold medals in the super giant slalom in skiing and the parallel giant slalom in snowboarding. At the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, he will defend his title in the parallel giant slalom. He is currently competing for the championship in both events
On January 18th of this year, he took third place on the podium in the Super Giant Slalom at the Alpine Skiing World Cup held in Italy, and five days later, on January 23rd, he won the Parallel Giant Slalom at the Alpine Snowboarding World Cup, demonstrating his dual talent
However, it was discovered that the Alpine downhill skiing and snowboard parallel giant slalom events would be held on the same day at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. After requesting a change in the schedule from the IOC but being denied, he decided to give up on the downhill skiing event on February 8th and instead compete in the snowboarding event. He will now focus on the super giant slalom on February 12th
Will another historic moment be created on the extreme stage of the Olympics? This is one of the biggest attractions of the tournament
A tearful victory, and beyond:
Italian rising star Franzoni fights alongside his best friend
Giovanni Franzoni, a young Italian alpine skier, has made great strides in the World Cup this season
He won his first Super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, and then achieved a historic victory in the downhill in Kitzbuhel, instantly propelling him to the top of the competition
Behind this is his close friend and teammate, Matteo Franzoso, who died in a training accident last fall. The death of his longtime comrade left him deeply saddened, but the feeling that he was "skating with him" became his driving force this season
The tears she shed after her victory and the message she sent to Matteo touched the hearts of many people more than the result itself. Expectations are high for her to win a medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, which will be held in her home country, as she is known for her mental strength and momentum
The determination of the Japanese team, which won the limited two spots to compete at the world's highest level
With so many alpine skiing powerhouses competing, Japan only managed to secure one male and one female spot, a tough result
On the men's side, Yohei Koyama, who was closest to qualifying, ruptured his Achilles tendon during training in early January and was forced to withdraw. However, his teammate Shiro Aihara performed well in the World Cup and European Cup in January, earning a spot in the team. The 25-year-old, who is making his Olympic debut, made a bold statement saying, "I'm going to keep attacking like crazy until I reach the finish line."
This will be Asahi Ando's third Olympic Games, following PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. In the past two Olympics, she has had to withdraw from her first run of her specialty, the slalom, resulting in disappointing results. In her third appearance, she is expected to make full use of her past experience and make a big leap forward
Aihara will compete in the men's slalom on February 16th, and Ando in the women's slalom on February 18th. The world's highest stage is just around the corner. I hope they will stick to their own path in Milan-Cortina without fear or wavering. I wish them the best of luck
Getting to know the athletes makes alpine skiing even more interesting
Returning stars, extraordinary talent, local hopes, and challengers... The more you get to know the athletes, the more you realize that alpine skiing is not just a race against time
The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics will be the stage where this allure is at its most concentrated.
What awaits beyond the finish line will be more memorable stories than records.
We hope that as many people as possible will be able to enjoy alpine skiing, the sport that the world pays the most attention to.