In snowboard cross

LIVE: Medals are up for grabs! Dusek and Hämmerle in command

Alessandro Hämmerle (left) wins the Olympic gold medal, Jakob Dusek (right) is delighted with his bronze medal.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Austria celebrates two more medals! Snowboard crosser Alessandro Hämmerle secured Olympic victory and Jakob Dusek took the bronze medal.

Alessandro Hämmerle is a double Olympic champion in snowboard cross. On Thursday, the Vorarlberg native repeated his coup from four years ago in Beijing at Livigno Snow Park and secured gold once again. Thanks to a strong finish, Hämmerle raced to first place ahead of Canada's Eliot Grondin. Bronze also went to Austria thanks to former world champion Jakob Dusek. These were medals ten and eleven for the Austrian Olympic Committee at these Winter Games.

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"It's completely surreal; I wouldn't have thought it possible this morning. The illness took so much out of me, I didn't know how I would find the energy," said Hämmerle. He had recently been struggling with a cold. His energy returned during the competition. "When I started in the final, I noticed the adrenaline kick in, and it worked. I put my energy into the right places. I can't believe it worked out again."

Austrians advance in photo finish
Hämmerle had already made it exciting in the semifinals in Livigno in wind and snowfall. In a photo finish against US veteran Nick Baumgartner, the 32-year-old advanced in second place behind Grondin. He had previously secured his place in the quarterfinals with confident performances in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. Dusek also advanced in his semifinal in a photo finish against France's Jonas Chollet. David Pickl and Lukas Pachner from the Austrian quartet had already been eliminated in the round of 16, finishing third in their respective runs.

For Dusek, "it couldn't have gone much better. It was extremely exhausting to race so many runs on the long course and fight until the end." The 29-year-old recalled finals that had not gone according to the Austrians' liking: "Now, after five major events where there were always two Austrians in the grand final, we have finally managed to avoid finishing fourth." At the 2025 World Championships in St. Moritz, Hämmerle and Dusek fought a tough battle. The winner of the red-white-red duel was the victorious Canadian Grondin.

Hämmerle was already thinking about ending his career
"We said we would do better this time," Hämmerle said in retrospect on ORF. The Vorarlberg native followed in the footsteps of his two predecessors in Italy. Since snowboard cross became an Olympic sport, only American Seth Wescott, Frenchman Pierre Vaultier, and now the Vorarlberg native have won gold twice. "I wish the next one good luck," said Hämmerle.

  It wasn't always certain that he would be able to call himself a double Olympic champion. Hämmerle had already considered ending his career. "It's always up and down with injuries in our sport. It can happen quickly," he explained. Now would actually be a good time to throw in the towel. "But next year is a home World Championship, so we'll try again."

For Dusek, this is his greatest success alongside his World Championship gold in 2023. Four years ago, the Lower Austrian was already out of the medal race in the round of 16. A lot went wrong in his preseason preparations for the Olympic winter. While mountain biking in Livigno last September, Dusek suffered a partial tear of his cruciate ligament. "It happened right back there," the bronze medalist said in the finish stadium. "It's really special to be standing here now."