Stronger than everything, the injuries, the pain, the adverse weather. Flora Tabanelli wins bronze in the freestyle skiing Big Air, despite a knee ligament damaged a few months ago. Only Canadian Megan Oldham and Chinese superstar Eileen Gu beat her to the top step of the podium. It is a historic medal, two and a half points away from gold: for Italy it is the first ever in the specialty and the twenty-third in Milan Cortina, with records that continue to be crumbled day after day.
Flora’s eyes shine. Three months ago he was in hospital waiting for the diagnosis after an injury, with the fear of having to miss the home Olympics. And instead today comes a test that borders on perfection. Zero errors, few mistakes. A result born of strategy – the decision to skip the slopestyle was wise -, determination and determination, which is very similar to the triumphs of Federica Brignone.
The news of the final: a tricolor crescendo
The Italian, reigning world champion, opens the final in the best possible way: her first jump is worth 90 points and she is already at the foot of the podium. In the second heat she scored 84 points and moved up one position, before a leap from Gu that brought her down. Tabanelli needs a **perfect trick in the last run**. Which arrives precisely (it is the highest score of the whole evening), thus taking the bronze from Kirsty Miur’s neck.
And the Livigno Snow Park explodes with a bang. The performance of the other Italian was also positive: **Maria Gasslitter**, in her second final in a few days, finished ninth. It is the first time that Italian Freeskiing arrives on the Olympic podium: the best result was fifth place by Leonardo Donaggio in Beijing 2022.
Extreme conditions and flat rates in Livigno
A race in very difficult conditions. Snow and wind have been raging in Livigno since the early hours of dawn and the race is postponed twice, before starting over an hour late (instead of). At a certain point it even seemed that the final would have to be postponed to the following days.
Tough conditions that did not allow Anouk Andraska and Mathilde Gremaud (gold a few days ago in slopestyle) to take part in the final. Both, in fact, fall during training and get injured; Andraska suffers a wrist injury, while Gremaud suffers a hip problem.
The triumph of the Tabanelli family
But it is Tabanelli’s perfect evening. It wasn’t a great Olympics for his inseparable brother Miro – he was eliminated twice in the qualifiers – but this bronze makes the Games magical for the whole family.