BORMIO, Italy – A sport steeped in the history of mountaineering and popularized by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself saw its Olympic debut today at the Stelvio Ski Centre, but the day’s headlines were as much about geopolitics as athletic achievement. Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll took gold in the inaugural skimo event, but it was Russian athlete Nikita Filippov’s silver medal – won as a neutral competitor – that sparked both celebration and controversy at the Winter Olympics.
Skimo, a grueling combination of uphill skiing, running with skis on the back, and a rapid downhill descent, draws a direct line to the adventures chronicled by Conan Doyle in 1894. The author, a year after “killing off” Sherlock Holmes, detailed a perilous 15-mile ski journey across the Maienfelder Furka Pass, describing a landscape where “the slope grew steeper and steeper until it fell away into what was little short of being sheer precipice.” The sport, as one athlete described it, is a return to a more elemental form of skiing, before the convenience of ski lifts.
But the purity of the sport was complicated by the presence of Filippov, competing under a neutral flag due to the International Olympic Committee’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes following the invasion of Ukraine. His silver medal win immediately ignited a complex reaction, with Filippov himself expressing a longing to compete under his nation’s colors. “Of course it is tricky when you see guys from different countries wearing national jackets and boots,” he said, according to reporting from The Guardian. “But the Olympics is my childhood dream. It’s bad, but we should adapt and I hope next year that the Olympics, World Cups and all around the world there will be no neutral athletes and it will be just like in the past.”
The Russian government was swift to celebrate the win, with Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev awarding Filippov the title of honoured master of sports of Russia almost immediately after the medal ceremony. This underscored the political sensitivities surrounding the Games, and Italy’s strong opposition to allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, even under a neutral flag, as highlighted by concerns raised regarding the upcoming Winter Paralympics as reported by The Guardian.
A Test of Endurance and Technique
Skimo, often described as “snow’s answer to triathlon,” demands a unique blend of athleticism. Athletes first power-ski uphill, then transition to running with their skis strapped to their backs up a 40-meter staircase, before another uphill ski section and a final, rapid downhill run. The sport’s demanding nature was evident in the performances of all competitors.
Australian Lara Hamilton, who finished last in the women’s heat, described the physical toll. “The lungs, the chest, you experience deep burning,” she said. “The quads, the calves. It looks like a leg-dominant sport but there is a lot of pushing with your arms.” The strain was also felt by Phillip Bellingham, a veteran cross-country skier competing in his fourth Olympics, who found the deep snow particularly challenging. “When there’s fresh snow on top, we’re sinking into it,” he explained, adding that he felt exhausted even before his semi-final race.
A Legacy of Mountaineering
The roots of skimo can be traced back to the early 20th century and the vision of Sir Arnold Lunn, who conceived of the slalom race in 1922 and championed the inclusion of both slalom and downhill skiing in the Winter Olympics in 1936. Lunn himself was a passionate skimo enthusiast, despite a youthful accident that left one leg two inches shorter than the other. He famously described the sport as the “marriage of two great sports, mountaineering and skiing.”
Even as Great Britain did not field any skimo racers in this inaugural Olympic event, Emily Harrop, who was born in France to English parents and previously competed for France, secured a silver medal in the women’s race behind Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton. Harrop, a former British downhill champion, expressed her enthusiasm for the sport, stating, “Our sport is lovely; there is so much freedom and it’s an amazing way to find your limits – that’s why we love it.”
Filippov’s remarkable physical conditioning, reportedly honed through a grueling workout regimen of climbing multiple flights of stairs while carrying heavy weights, also contributed to his success. His father, Alexey, attributed his son’s performance to “hard work, proper breathing and essential oils to help him relax under pressure.”
“What happened is an Olympic miracle, an Olympic fairytale, the kind you always seek to believe in,” Alexey Filippov said.
The controversy surrounding Filippov’s participation, and the swift celebration from the Russian government, cast a shadow over the day’s events. The incident underscores the ongoing complexities of international sport in the wake of geopolitical tensions.
The Winter Olympics continue in Bormio, with further events scheduled throughout the coming weeks. Organizers are expected to address ongoing security concerns and the implications of the neutral athlete policy as the Games progress.
What are your thoughts on the inclusion of skimo in the Olympics and the controversy surrounding neutral athletes? Share your comments below.
