Ester Ledecka guns for an Olympic first on 1 March 2026—three consecutive Parallel Giant Slalom golds—when women’s qualification starts at 09:00 CET on Livigno Snow Park’s steep dual track.
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Ledecka Skips Alpine to Focus on Board
The Czech star dropped the downhill in nearby Bormio, gambling her entire Milano-Cortina program on the event she has ruled since PyeongChang 2018. Victory would keep alive her long-shot bid to repeat the historic ski-snowboard double she pulled off eight winters ago, when she shocked Alpine specialists by winning Super-G hours before capturing PGS.
Japanese Squad Leads Rival Pack
Tsubaki Miki, 22, tops the 2025-26 PGS World Cup standings and owns the 2023 Bakuriani world title. Tomoka Takeuchi, 42, lines up for her fourth Games, while veteran Austrian Claudia Riegler, 52, becomes the oldest Olympic snowboarder ever, surpassing the mark she set at 44 in PyeongChang.
Italian Men Target Home Sweep
Host nation Italy carries four riders inside the World Cup top six. Roland Fischnaller, 45, leads the globe after December wins in Carezza and Mylin; Engadin champions Maurizio Bormolini and Aaron March sit third and fourth; Mirko Felicetti, fresh from a Mylin victory, rounds out the deepest roster on the circuit.
Karl Eyes Final Podium
Defending champion Benjamin Karl, 40, calls Milano his last Games. A medal of any color would lift the Austrian to four Olympic podium finishes, the most by a male boarder. He posted the fastest qualification run on this slope during January’s test event and trails only Fischnaller in season points.
Big Air Night Session Opens
Floodlights flip on at 19:30 for women’s Big Air qualifiers. Anna Gasser starts her chase for a third straight title, while New Zealand’s Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Britain’s Mia Brookes promise early fireworks. Japan’s Kokomo Murase, Reira Iwabuchi and Mari Fukada—who swept the 2025 world podium—enter a 30-rider field fighting for 12 Monday-final spots.
Useful Resources
FIS Snowboard World Cup standings
Milano Cortina 2026 schedule app
Snowboard Austria technical blog
“Riding Sideways” podcast
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