Winter Olympic Highlights Day Four: Biathlon, slopestyle & cross-country headline events

Tommaso Giacomel is one of the favourites in the men's 20km biathlon
Tommaso Giacomel is one of the favourites in the men's 20km biathlonCredit: ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Christian Einecke

The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are well and truly underway. On day four, nine sets of medals will be handed out. At Flashscore, we have picked out three events you shouldn't miss: The men's 20km biathlon, the men's freeski slopestyle final, and the women's cross-country sprint classic.

Cross-country skiing: Women's sprint classic

09:15 CET - Cross-country and biathlon centre Fabio Canal, Tesero

The race, which will take place at the 1,585-meter-long race track in Tesero, starts with a qualifying round (single start), after which the 30 fastest move on to elimination-style quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final (which starts at 13:13 CET).

The reigning Olympic - and World Champion in the sprint classic, Sweden's Jonna Sundling, will head into the day as the big favourite thanks to her enormous speed on the track and technical ability.

She will mainly face competition from Kristine Stavas Skistad, Norway's primary hope for individual sprint success, especially in classic, since the retirement of Therese Johaug.

Sundling's Swedish compatriot, Maja Dahlqvist, a 2022 silver medalist and a power-sprint specialist, is also tipped to reach the podium. While the USA's Jessie Diggins, who is competing in her final year of professional racing, will represent a versatile threat even though she usually performs best on longer distances.

Freestyle skiing: Men's slopestyle final 

12:30 CET - Livigno Snow Park

The reigning Olympic champion, USA's Alex Hall, has arrived in Livigno with the extra incentive to do well as his mother comes from Bologna, and he will have plenty of family in Livigno to cheer him on.

Hall was forced to settle for bronze at last year's World Championships, which was won by Norway's Birk Ruud, who won Olympic big air gold at Beijing 2022. New Zealand’s Luca Harrington will head into the Olympic tournament rich on confiendence after booking his second-straight X Games slopestyle victory two weeks ago.

There might be no one in the men’s field hungrier for an Olympic podium than Switzerland's Andri Ragettli. Ragettli is the 2021 Slopestyle World Champion, five-time Crystal Globe winner, three-time X Games winner, and World Cup record holder with 33 career podiums, but he has yet to win an Olympic medal, and he will be desperate to fill that space in the trophy cabinet on Tuesday.

Biathlon: Men's 20km individual

13:30 CET - South Tyrol Arena in Rasen-Antholz

The 20km Biathlon race is the most demanding in terms of stamina and nerve, and consistent shooters reap the biggest rewards in the race. Athletes stop four times at the shooting range and attempt to hit five targets. For each missed target in this event, the athlete receives a one-minute penalty. Consequently, precision on the range is paramount over pure speed.

A strong contender for the podium will be Norway's Sturla Holm Laegreid, whose 93% shooting makes him an obvious tip for a potential winner, even on days when he is struggling to find his rhythm on the tracks.

Eric Perrot will be the biggest challenger for Laegreid thanks to his speed on the skis, solid shooting, and laser-sharp focus. Meanwhile, the Italians will put their faith in Tommaso Giacomel, and although his shooting is at a level below Laegreid and Perrot, Giacomel is always capable of outskiing his rivals.

American Campbell Wright, Sweden's Sebastian Samuelsson, and France's Quentin Fillon Maillet could also make an impact among the top challengers for the gold.

Check out the full Winter Games schedule and the medal table here!

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