Livigno (Italy) (AFP) – Olympic gold in the parallel giant of snowboarding for a Czech, but not for what was expected: the great favorite Ester Ledecka, current double Olympic champion, was eliminated in the quarterfinals and the title went to Zuzana Maderova, this Sunday in Livigno.
First modification: 02/08/2026 - 15:27
Meanwhile, in the men's category, held on the same day, Austrian Benjamin Karl (40 years old) won a second consecutive title in this discipline, sixteen years after his first podium at the Olympic Games.
Maderova, 22, had never won a World Cup event, but she had a spectacular morning, heading straight for gold at the Livigno snowpark.
She beat the Austrian Sabine Payer in the final thanks to a brilliant start, while the bronze went to the Italian Lucia Dalmasso.
With Maderova's victory, the Czech public, large this Sunday in Livigno, was able to recover from the disappointment of the defeat of Ledecka, the national winter sports star.
Ledecka, the only woman in history to have achieved an Olympic gold in two different sports in the same Games (super-giant in alpine skiing and parallel giant in snowboarding in 2018), opted for alpine snowboarding in Milan-Cortina and ruled out competing in ski downhill, which was held at the same time in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
His opportunity to cut his teeth in alpine skiing will come on Thursday, when he plans to be in the super-G.
In the men's category, Karl fulfilled his favorite status and surpassed the South Korean Sangkyum Kim on the podium, while the Slovakian Tim Mastnak took bronze.
This event is the only alpine snowboarding event on the Olympic program and its continuity is in danger.
It is under observation at these Milan-Cortina Games and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must communicate its decision in June and whether it will be present at the next Winter Games, in 2030 in the French Alps.
© 2026 AFP
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