BORMIO, Italy (AP) — The steepest hill ski mountaineering athlete Ana Alonso Rodriguez had to climb on her way to an Olympic bronze medal involved no course at all. No snow or competitors, either.
Just trusting in herself, and an injured knee, to give it a try and get to the starting line at the Milan Cortina Games.
In September, while riding her bike in a training session, the Spanish racer was hit by a car. She tore ligaments in her knee and injured her shoulder. Surgery would’ve surely meant sitting out the Winter Games, where her sport — one that involves skiing uphill and then downhill — was making its Olympic debut.
So, she rehabbed, instead, and hoped just to be able to compete in Bormio in some fashion. This bronze medal, the one she earned Thursday, felt almost surreal. On her way to the finish line, she even glanced over her shoulder not once or twice but three or four times just to make certain the medal, indeed, belonged to her.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said the 31-year-old Alonso Rodriguez, who is expected to combine with teammate and Olympic men’s gold medalist Oriol Cardona Coll for the mixed relay on Saturday. “I was so emotional. Trying to believe that I achieved this medal, it was a beautiful moment for me.”
The crash that nearly ended her Olympic pursuit
Back in September, Alonso Rodriguez posted the news of her crash on Instagram. Along with it, a picture: Her left arm in a sling and her left knee in a bulky brace. She explained that she saw the car at the last moment and, realizing there was no escape, braced for the impact.
That, she wrote, prevented something worse from happening. There was another picture of her sitting on the street, with people around, and a car windshield smashed in the background.
She vowed to work her way back to the skimo course, posting a note at the time that read, through translation: “Just 7 months ago I fulfilled a dream (of making the Olympics) that was born when I was 7. I don’t think life has taken me this far to leave me here. This is not an end. It’s just a new challenge to climb with determination, faith and a lot of passion.”
Alonso Rodriguez works her way back to skimo
About three months after the crash, she returned to skis. By mid-January, she was back on the World Cup racing circuit.
And by early February, she was on the podium again, taking second with Cardona Coll in a relay race.
That’s why she had so much confidence Thursday as she navigated a course that included traversing through a diamond-shaped pattern before taking the skis off to go up stairs in ski boots, followed by another vertical ascent with skis back on and finally the downhill. She finished 10.45 seconds behind winner Marianne Fatton of Switzerland, but, truth be told, just lining up was the goal.
This medal, well, it was extra.
“I wanted to focus on myself and be proud of my performance, no matter the results,” said Alonso Rodriguez, the silver medalist at the 2025 world championships. “So I only wanted to cross the finish line being happy with my performance.”
Next up, the mixed team event on Saturday to close out the racing program in Bormio. She and Cardona Coll are expected to be paired up — the official pairings come out later — and will be among the favorites. It’s a powerful field that includes Emily Harrop, the silver-medal winner, who’s expected to combine with Thibault Anselmet, the bronze medalist in the men’s race, to represent France. A Swiss team, led by Fatton, will be in the medal mix, too.
Count teammate Cardona Coll as impressed with Alonso Rodriguez’s performance.
“We were warming up and we realized Ana got third place and we had the first medal with us,” Cardona Coll explained. “That was a push of motivation.”
For Alonso Rodriguez, her push of motivation came from another mountain, in Cortina, where Italian ski racer Federica Brignone captured gold in the super-G and giant slalom. Brignone returned after breaking multiple bones in her left leg last March.
“We always had belief I could be here and give my best performance,” Alonso Rodriguez said. “The last days when Federica won two gold medals were an inspiration, because I know she has been working very hard.
“At the end, the hard work paid off. I’m so happy for her and for myself.”
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