Ireland’s Cormac Comerford finished 37th in the men’s super-G at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Wednesday.
The Dubliner completed the event to finish over nine seconds behind winner Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen, who claimed a third gold medal of the event.
Comerford was the final competitor and was visibly pleased to complete the difficult course, saying hello to the television cameras while speaking in Irish.
He also spoke to his family in Ireland, virtually, just seconds after finishing, in a touching moment as they offered their congratulations.
Five athletes failed to complete their runs, including Italian veteran Stelvio king Dominik Paris. He lost a ski early on but thankfully managed to avoid injury as he slid out.
Comerford said after: “There are lots of emotions, lots of new feelings, lots of learning and experience. So, it’s a lot to take in. I’m glad to have shaved a bit of time off my downhill and bring it down in the super-G.
“I knew I had the capability, the strength and the power to challenge this slope. So, coming down the downhill and making it down was a really big step for me, and it gave me a lot more confidence going into the super-G.
“I’m really proud of myself that I was able to do it, prepare for it, and bring it down. It’s a great experience and I’ll bring that forward. The hype around the Stelvio slope is huge – everyone calls it the toughest downhill in the world, and it’s pretty gnarly. At this time of year, it’s fairly mellow so it’s nice to be able to race now with the conditions aren’t quite as gnarly, but the slope is really challenging. I enjoy it. I love a challenge.
“When the going gets tough, that’s when I get going. I love the challenge, and it’s great fun in the end to bring it down.”
Cormac Comerford in action in the men’s super-G
It was another masterclass by Von Allmen to emerge with victory.
The 24-year-old, who also claimed gold in the downhill and team combined, once again left nothing in the tank as he went full throttle down the bumpy and winding course to win by 0.13 seconds from American Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
Marco Odermatt, who had been tipped to win multiple golds in the build-up to the Games, found himself eclipsed by his younger team-mate again and had to settle for bronze to add to the silver medal he won in the men’s combined event on Monday.
A lovely moment as Cormac Comerford’s family congratulate him, virtually, after completing the men’s super-G at the Winter Olympics.
“Go and have a good rest” is good advice. #WinterOlympics #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/giniYhigPM
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) February 11, 2026
Not since French great Jean-Claude Killy in Grenoble in 1968 has a male Alpine skier won three golds at the same Olympics – Killy doing it in downhill, slalom and giant slalom.
Seventh man out of the start gate, Von Allmen produced a typically aggressive run on a course that was 800 metres shorter than the one on which he won Saturday’s downhill.
At times he was on the edge of control but it paid off as no other skier could match his speed.
Von Allmen looked almost apologetic when Odermatt crossed the line with a slower time, but beamed as the late runners came down, eventually holding up three fingers for the camera.
Cochran-Siegle took advantage of the better early conditions on a mild morning in Bormio, repeating the silver medal he took in super-G at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Italian Giovanni Franzoni, second in the downhill, also suffered disappointment as he could only finish sixth.
Additional reporting: Reuters