Snowboard cross concludes at Milan Cortina 2026 with the mixed team event. These Games are only the second time the event has been contested at the Winter Olympics after it made its debut at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This — combined with the competition’s unpredictability — can lead to exciting podium results.

Unlike in the individual competitions, the mixed team event starts with the quarterfinal knockout races. The men race first, followed by the women, who have their start times staggered based on the time differences in the men’s results.

Keep reading to find out who will be racing for the top teams…

As the only country with three teams competing, it’s possible France could sweep the podium. Five of the six riders advanced to either the big or small final in their respective contests, aside from Chloe Trespeuch, who barely missed the semifinal after a photo finish with American Faye Thelen.

Lea Casta and the speedy Chollet brothers, Aidan and Jonas, represent a new wave of French riders. All three posted strong individual finishes in their Olympic debuts and may be the teams to beat.

French Teams:
Team 1: Aidan Chollet and Julia Nirani-Pereira
Team 2: Loan Bozzolo and Lea Casta
Team 3: Jonas Chollet and Chloe Trespeuch

After an impressive winning streak by both Jakob Dusek and Pia Zerkhold in their individual contests, the two could end up on the mixed team podium. Dusek claimed bronze in the men’s contest, while Zerkhold finished 5th in the women’s small final earlier in the Games.

Austrian Team: Jakob Dusek and Pia Zerkhold

The Italian crowd was shocked when host country veteran Omar Visintin was uncharacteristically eliminated in the Round of 32 of the men’s event. As part of the Italian team that won Olympic silver in Beijing in 2022, Visintin heads into the mixed team event with another chance at gold with partner Sofia Groblechner.

The other half of the Italian team from the Beijing Games is Michela Moioli, who is fresh off winning bronze in the women’s contest on Feb. 13 after recovering from a fall during training. The Italian gold medal favorite in the women’s event is hungry for a mixed team gold on home soil. She is teamed up with Lorenzo Sommariva, who finished 8th in the men’s small final.

Italian Teams:
Team 1: Omar Visintin and Sofia Groblechner
Team 2: Lorenzo Sommariva and Michela Moioli

As the only five-time Olympians in the field, Nick Baumgartner and Thelen are proving the importance of experience in snowboard cross. Both snowboard veterans placed 7th in their respective small finals and are partners for the mixed team contest.

Baumgartner, 44, narrowly missed qualifying for the men’s big final after a photo finish with Austrian Olympic champion Alessandro Haemmerle. Despite being the oldest American snowboarder to compete at the Winter Olympics, he kept pace with competitors younger than his 21-year-old son, Landon.

Baumgartner was part of the American team that won mixed team gold at the Beijing Games. His partner in that race, Lindsey Jacobellis, is not competing in Livigno.

Nathan Pare and Stacy Gaskill form the second team that will compete for the U.S. In the men’s quarterfinals, Pare sped across the finish line first, but was later “ranked as last” (RAL) and eliminated for making contact with Spain’s Lucas Eguibar. Gaskill was eliminated in the women’s quarterfinals, but has a second shot at an Olympic medal with Pare.

American Teams:
Team 1: Nick Baumgartner and Faye Thelen
Team 2: Nathan Pare and Stacy Gaskill

Mixed snowboard cross takes place Sunday, Feb. 15, beginning with quarterfinals at 7:45 a.m. ET, followed by semifinals at 8:15 a.m. ET, the small final at 8:35 a.m. ET and the medal-deciding big final at 8:40 p.m. ET. All rounds can be seen live on NBCOlympics.com and Peacock.