IRISH SKIER CORMAC Comerford successfully navigated the Stelvio slope today as he finished 37th (of 42) in the Super G event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
His run, which was just over nine seconds slower than the Swiss winner, marks the second time he has crossed the finish line of the demanding course in Bormio, Italy.
The 29-year-old’s preferred discipline is slalom, but he wanted to compete in the four alpine skiing events of the Olympics, including Super G and downhill.
“A lot of people were sceptical of me competing in the downhill,” he told reporters after the race, confirming he gained confidence from a positive performance in the event on Saturday.
“I knew I had the capability, the strength and the power to challenge this slope.
“So yeah, coming down the downhill and making it down was a really big step for me, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the Super G.”
Comerford has received anomalous attention over the past five days from international skiing experts, given he started skiing aged eight on the dry slopes of Kilternan and has ended up an Olympian on these infamous mountains.
“The hype around the Stelvio slope is huge,” he acknowledged.
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“Everyone calls it the toughest downhill in the world, and it’s pretty gnarly. At this time of year, it’s fairly mellow so it’s nice to be able to race now when the conditions aren’t quite as gnarly, but the slope is still really challenging.
“I enjoy it. I love a challenge. When the going gets tough, that’s when I get going. So, yeah, I love the challenge, and it’s great fun in the end to bring it down.”
However, he is realistic about his current skill set – not just what’s possible in future but the current errors creeping in too.
“There were a couple of mistakes on the Super G so it wasn’t as fast as I would have liked,” he admitted.
A tentativeness around some areas compounded and led to an overall loss of speed, he explained.
But he battled the weather and tried to reverse some of the mistakes in the final third, aiming to pick up speed and “keep it as clean as possible”.
“The conditions were definitely changing throughout the race. It was getting a lot more humid and kind of wet and sticky. The conditions from talking to the other guys definitely changed throughout the race… but I think I managed alright despite the mistakes up above.”
Comerford’s next outing is on 14 February in the giant slalom discipline before he finishes his Olympics with his favourite event – slalom – two days later. He is hoping to carry over some of the preparation, learnings and visualisation from the two speed events of downhill and Super G when he takes to the start line on Saturday.
“It was nice to do the speed events. It was a lot of extra work, but I’m really proud that I had the opportunity and I pulled myself together and brought it down.”
The Super G was won by Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen who now has three gold medals from these games, solidifying superstar status in his home country. When the former carpenter’s dad died when he was just 17, the small community of Boltigen crowdfunded so he could continue his skiing career. Now 24, he promises to remain faithful to who he always was, growing up in the village with a population of less than 2,000 people.
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His teammate and expected champion Marco Odermatt had to leave with a consolation bronze, while American Ryan Cochran-Siegle secured Team USA’s first medal in the Stelvio Ski Centre with his silver. He also came second in Beijing four years ago.
As with other athletes wearing the stars and stripes at Milan Cortina, he was asked what it meant to him to represent his country.
“We are all coming from different places in the world. I’m American, born and raised,” he started cautiously, before extolling the virtues of hard work and passion.
He noted that the Olympics are about carrying positivity and trying to make the world a better place before pausing and admitting to the journalist: “I understand your question, but I do have pride in representing America.”
The difficult line the US athletes have to walk to ensure they can exercise their free speech without receiving slights from their president or death threats from fellow countrymen is met with understanding in the room and the conversation switches to more comfortable ground.
Cochran-Siegle’s mother won her Olympic gold medal on this exact day 54 years ago at the Sapporo Games.
“Must be something in the water back in Vermont,” the now two-time silver medallist said with a smile.
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Irish skier Cormac Comerford gaining fans and respect for successful runs down 'gnarly' slopes
IRISH SKIER CORMAC Comerford successfully navigated the Stelvio slope today as he finished 37th (of 42) in the Super G event at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
His run, which was just over nine seconds slower than the Swiss winner, marks the second time he has crossed the finish line of the demanding course in Bormio, Italy.
The 29-year-old’s preferred discipline is slalom, but he wanted to compete in the four alpine skiing events of the Olympics, including Super G and downhill.
“A lot of people were sceptical of me competing in the downhill,” he told reporters after the race, confirming he gained confidence from a positive performance in the event on Saturday.
“I knew I had the capability, the strength and the power to challenge this slope.
“So yeah, coming down the downhill and making it down was a really big step for me, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the Super G.”
Comerford has received anomalous attention over the past five days from international skiing experts, given he started skiing aged eight on the dry slopes of Kilternan and has ended up an Olympian on these infamous mountains.
“The hype around the Stelvio slope is huge,” he acknowledged.
“Everyone calls it the toughest downhill in the world, and it’s pretty gnarly. At this time of year, it’s fairly mellow so it’s nice to be able to race now when the conditions aren’t quite as gnarly, but the slope is still really challenging.
“I enjoy it. I love a challenge. When the going gets tough, that’s when I get going. So, yeah, I love the challenge, and it’s great fun in the end to bring it down.”
However, he is realistic about his current skill set – not just what’s possible in future but the current errors creeping in too.
“There were a couple of mistakes on the Super G so it wasn’t as fast as I would have liked,” he admitted.
A tentativeness around some areas compounded and led to an overall loss of speed, he explained.
But he battled the weather and tried to reverse some of the mistakes in the final third, aiming to pick up speed and “keep it as clean as possible”.
“The conditions were definitely changing throughout the race. It was getting a lot more humid and kind of wet and sticky. The conditions from talking to the other guys definitely changed throughout the race… but I think I managed alright despite the mistakes up above.”
Comerford’s next outing is on 14 February in the giant slalom discipline before he finishes his Olympics with his favourite event – slalom – two days later. He is hoping to carry over some of the preparation, learnings and visualisation from the two speed events of downhill and Super G when he takes to the start line on Saturday.
“It was nice to do the speed events. It was a lot of extra work, but I’m really proud that I had the opportunity and I pulled myself together and brought it down.”
The Super G was won by Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen who now has three gold medals from these games, solidifying superstar status in his home country. When the former carpenter’s dad died when he was just 17, the small community of Boltigen crowdfunded so he could continue his skiing career. Now 24, he promises to remain faithful to who he always was, growing up in the village with a population of less than 2,000 people.
His teammate and expected champion Marco Odermatt had to leave with a consolation bronze, while American Ryan Cochran-Siegle secured Team USA’s first medal in the Stelvio Ski Centre with his silver. He also came second in Beijing four years ago.
As with other athletes wearing the stars and stripes at Milan Cortina, he was asked what it meant to him to represent his country.
“We are all coming from different places in the world. I’m American, born and raised,” he started cautiously, before extolling the virtues of hard work and passion.
He noted that the Olympics are about carrying positivity and trying to make the world a better place before pausing and admitting to the journalist: “I understand your question, but I do have pride in representing America.”
The difficult line the US athletes have to walk to ensure they can exercise their free speech without receiving slights from their president or death threats from fellow countrymen is met with understanding in the room and the conversation switches to more comfortable ground.
Cochran-Siegle’s mother won her Olympic gold medal on this exact day 54 years ago at the Sapporo Games.
“Must be something in the water back in Vermont,” the now two-time silver medallist said with a smile.
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Alpine Skiing Bormio cormac comerford Ireland Milan-Cortina Stevlio super-g Winter Olympics Winter Olympics 2026