sports
February 20, 2026
Russian skier wins silver in new Olympic sport
Russian athlete Nikita Filippov has won silver in ski mountaineering at the 2026 Winter Olympics, competing under a neutral flag
TL;DR
- Nikita Filippov, a 23-year-old Russian skier competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN), won a silver medal in the men's ski mountaineering sprint at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
- This marks the first medal won by an athlete under a neutral flag at the 2026 Games.
- Ski mountaineering, or ‘skimo,’ is a new Winter Olympic sport that combines uphill and downhill skiing.
- Filippov's qualification and subsequent medal win were facilitated by a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling that allowed Russian athletes to compete and earn ranking points.
- Russian and Belarusian athletes had been largely barred from international sports since 2022.
- Russian flags will also appear at the upcoming Paralympics in March, a first since Sochi 2014.
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