Caroline Ulrich will go down in history as the sport’s first ever Olympic gold medallist, winning the Women’s Individual event. Twin brothers Thomas and Robin Bussard finished in gold and silver positions an hour later in the Men’s event at the Villars Winter Park, which is 40km outside of Lausanne.
Thomas came in ahead of his brother in a time of 47.49.85. Austria’s Nils Oberauer claimed bronze. 17-year-old Ulrich’s winning time of 58:34:48 was over a minute clear of her compatriot Thibe Deseyn. France’s Margot Ravinel took bronze.
Ski Mountaineering – commonly referred to as “skimo” for short – sees athletes race over snow-covered terrain using both skiing and mountaineering techniques. In the individual races at Lausanne 2020, competitors completed two laps of the 3.6km course that had three ascents and three descents and a total climb of 840m. In this event, all competitors start the race together and the winner is the first competitor to cross the line.
The Ski Mountaineers return to action on Monday (January 13) when the sprint events take place, and there is a mixed relay on Tuesday (January 14).