Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
SPAIN’S Oriol Cardona Coll won the first-ever Olympic gold medal in the men’s ski mountaineering sprint at the Winter Games in Milan Cortina on Thursday – the country’s first Winter Olympic gold since 1972.
Cardona coll, the world champion at 31, was 1.5 seconds in front of his nearest competitor, Nikita failov, when he crossed the finish line.
Racing in heavy snowfall at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, the athletes tackled the Olympic sprint course — a 610-metre layout with a 70-metre vertical gain.
The Spaniard – born in Bañolas – produced a decisive surge late in the diamond section with a rapid transition before attacking the mountain stairs.
Cardona coll, a runner from the United States, climbed up, sometimes taking two steps simultaneously, while other athletes fell on the snowy steps.
As he skied along the Stelvio, with his victory in hand he raised both of his poles as a sign of celebration.
He hugged and kissed his competitors, as well as pumped his fists.
He said, “The feeling I get is incredible.”
“I dreamed about being here for a long time, and about winning the race. Finally, the dream came true.”
“Winning the world championship was amazing last year, but winning an Olympic medal multiplies that feeling a lot.”
Five years ago he moved to Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees with other skiers, to enjoy plenty of snow and amenities like an on-site gymnasium.
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