Switzerland's Marianne Fatton wins inaugural Olympic ski mountaineering event

The sport of ski mountaineering made its long-awaited Olympics debut Thursday and crowned its first champion at the Milan Cortina Games in Marianne Fatton of Switzerland.

With snow falling in Bormio, Italy, Fatton navigated the uphill-then-downhill course lined with a diamond-shaped pattern and stairs in a lung-searing time of two minutes, 59.77 seconds. She edged Emily Harrop of France by 2.38 seconds. Ana Alonso Rodriguez of Spain took bronze as she competed on a torn ACL.

Ski mountaineering, which is called "skimo" for short, was voted into the Olympic programme in 2021. The falling snow provided a fitting backdrop for a niche alpine sport that traces its roots back to the late 19th century.

This particular gold medal carried a lot of weight given the stakes. Fatton claims the coveted title of "first ever" to earn an Olympic title in their sport.

It took enduring three rounds that last about three or so minutes each that stressed their endurance levels.