The epic conclusion to ski mountaineering's Olympic debut featured France's Emily Harrop and Thibault Anselmet claiming gold in the mixed relay race on Saturday in Bormio. They posted a winning time of 26:57.44.

Switzerland continued its Winter Games hot streak at the Stelvio Ski Centre, as Marianne Fatton and Jon Kistler snagged silver (+11.86).

Following up their strong performances in Thursday's sprint, Ana Alonso Rodriguez and Oriol Cardona Coll earned medals once again, collecting bronze (+26.50).

The longshot United States pair of Anna Gibson and Cam Smith nearly reached the podium, finishing in fourth (+42.99).

Harrop and Anselmet never trailed during their uphill skin, bootpack or downhill ski on the way to victory.

Harrop led a bunched pack into the first ascent of Lap 1, and then motored well out in front thanks to a dynamic run through the diamond section and smooth skis-to-back transition before the steps.

After the six-time world champion reached the top, she exorcised her demons from Thursday’s sprint, powering through the second transition area that likely cost her gold and quickly clicking into her skis to continue her ascent.

By the end of Lap 1, France had a 10-second edge. Switzerland was in 2nd, Italy 3rd and the United States 5th — 20 seconds off the lead.

In Lap 2, Thibault maintained the French lead, while Smith and the U.S. overtook Italy for 4th. Spain and Switzerland were neck and neck, and by the time the men tagged their female counterparts in, the countries were virtually tied. 

Meanwhile, as Smith passed the (metaphorical) baton back to Gibson, she reached within 11 seconds of a podium position. Harrop, still out in front, stumbled on one of the steps, but not enough to allow anyone to catch up in a significant way. 

Gibson too struggled a bit in the stair section, as she dropped a ski pole. She was able to recover, skinned to the course’s summit and weaved downhill in the Alpine section. Spain, who was in 3rd place, reached the bottom of the course, but Alonso overshot the transition tag zone and was awarded a three-second penalty. 

The 26-year-old Gibson took advantage and snuck into 3rd. She tagged in Smith who maintained the position for a brief period, but Cardona Coll — Thursday’s sprint gold medalist — leapfrogged Smith, while Switzerland gained on France in 1st. 

Still, Anselmet proved too fast and too tactically sound to catch as he crossed the finish line and captured gold for his squad.

With the win, Harrop and Anselmet added another piece of Olympic hardware to their growing collection, having earned silver and bronze respectively in Thursday's sprint. It also deepened their lore as a tandem as two-time defending mixed relay world champions.

Switzerland's Fatton, who won gold in the sprint, and her partner Kistler powered to a runner-up finish, increasing the country's unparalleled output in Bormio during the 2026 Winter Games. Alpine skiers' Franjo Von Allmen, Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard collected eight medals total on the Stelvio slopes. Fatton and Kistler contributed two more between the sprint and relay.

Spain survived a penalty scare in that final handover transition to secure Cardona Coll and Alonso their second Olympic medals in as many events, increasing the country's Milan Cortina medal count to three (the most Spain has ever collected at a single Winter Olympics).

It was a remarkable pair of races for Alonso in particular, as the Spaniard tore her ACL and MCL, fractured her ankle and separated her shoulder when she was hit by a car in October. She held off on getting surgery for a shot at participating in Bormio. Now, she's a two-time Olympic medalist.

Speaking of an unexpected journey, the Americans finishing fourth was quite the astonishing feat. Two months ago, it was unclear whether the country would even be able to send a team to the Winter Olympics. Seven months ago, Gibson wasn't a professional ski mountaineer.

At the Milan Cortina Games, they had a legitimate shot at cracking the podium. The future of USA SkiMo is in good hands. 

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