Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) – With the best result this season being a 6th place, that of Romane Miradoli in Saint-Moritz in December, the three French downhillers hope to benefit from the "Olympic magic", Sunday at the 2026 Olympic Games in Cortina, that of a one-day race where "everything is possible".

Published on: 07/02/2026 - 10:35

With only one podium this winter (Miradoli in super-G in St-Moritz) compared to eight for their male counterparts, the Blues are not starting with the favors of the forecasts, in the technical events and to a lesser degree in the speed ones, when considering a French medal.

But the Olympic legend of alpine skiing thrives on exploits and Romane Miradoli, Laura Gauché and Camille Cerutti want to believe in their chances on a track, the "Olimpia delle Tofane", in Cortina, which they know well.

“You have to ski, and enjoy this magnificent place that we know so well, and that I love so much (...) I experienced lots of emotions here, the fact that I made a podium (in super-G in 2024, Editor's note), it's a great memory,” explains Miradoli, the only one of the trio to have a World Cup victory (in super-G, in Lenzerheide in 2022).

“There were so many scenarios, I think we saw everything, favorites who took the medal, non-favorites who took the medal... All these examples clearly show that it's a one-day race and that everything is possible,” adds the 31-year-old skier.

“The desire to do better

To clearly demonstrate his support for women, the director of alpine skiing at the French Federation (FFS), David Chastan, spent the pre-Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

“The girls, they are here. We are here to win medals, not just to participate,” he stressed.

If the super-G seems to present the strongest chances, the French trio believes that the descent on the Tofane, technical, can also suit their qualities.

“We are starting with a team that really has technical qualities compared to other nations. So it’s a track that suits us well,” summarizes Camille Cerutti, 27, who has personal revenge to take after her serious fall four years ago in Beijing.

“I don’t want to be the Frenchwoman who got injured at the Games, I want to be the Frenchwoman who made the Olympic Games and does them well,” she warns.

Experience could also be an asset, notes Lauré Gauché, who has "already made 20 starts at Cortina", and who achieved the 7th time in the first official training session on Friday.

“We know the track, we know where we are putting our feet,” judges the thirty-year-old, 22nd in the downhill in Pyeongchang in 2018 and 10th in Beijing in 2022. And for whom there is “always the desire to do better”.

© 2026 AFP

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