Milano Cortina 2026: Furuno Places 4th, Narrowly Missing out on Japan’s 1st Medal in Ski Cross After Intense Final Stretch

By Riki Ozawa Yomiuri Shimbun Sportswriter

16:44 JST, February 22, 2026

MILAN — Satoshi Furuno placed fourth in the men’s ski cross at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Saturday, narrowly missing out on Japan’s first medal for the event but achieving the best result by a Japanese athlete.

The final was a fierce race where athletes crossed the finish line in a tight pack to place second to fourth.

“I finally got close enough to reach for a medal,” Furuno said after falling just short of Japan’s first medal in freestyle ski cross. “I missed my chance, so I’m really frustrated,” he added, unable to hold back tears.

Furuno had a strong showing in qualifying where he placed second overall. In qualifying, four athletes compete in a heat, in principle, and the top two finishers in each heat advance. Furuno placed at the top of his first-round and quarterfinal heats. In the semifinals, he lagged behind until midway through, but rushed forward and broke through when the athletes skiing ahead of him lost their balance.

In the final, Furuno fell behind at the start but tenaciously chased the skier in third place. After his last jump, he charged intensively on the last straightaway toward the finish line.

A native of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Furuno, 26, initially pursued two spots from his early elementary school years: BMX cycling in summer and alpine skiing in winter. He encountered ski cross when he was a fourth-grade student in elementary school. At the Beijing Olympics four years ago, he was eliminated in the first round. He took the frustration from that experience and used it to launch himself into intense training.

“I think I was able to grow significantly over the past four years,” Furuno said. “I’m really glad to have achieved my personal best result on such a big stage.”