Helsinki, February 8, 2026 – The Europe Today: Finland experienced contrasting results on its second full day of competition at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, with Anni Kärävä securing qualification for the women’s freeski slopestyle final, while Elian Lehto fell short of expectations in the men’s downhill.
Kärävä booked her place in Monday’s final by finishing inside the top 12 during qualification, despite suffering a fall on her second run. Her decisive performance came on her opening attempt, where she scored 62.91 points under challenging conditions that saw several competitors struggle, particularly on the opening rail section. Judges counted only the higher of two runs, allowing Kärävä’s first score to stand after her second run ended early, earning just 1.16 points.
Out of 23 athletes in the qualification round, Kärävä finished sixth overall. Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud topped the standings with a best score of 79.15, followed by China’s Ailing Eileen Gu in second place and Britain’s Kirsty Muir in third.
Earlier in the day, Finland’s Elian Lehto made his Olympic debut in the men’s downhill event in Bormio. Starting with bib number 18, Lehto placed 15th, finishing 2.22 seconds behind the winner after a run that did not reflect the form he had shown earlier in the season, including a top-ten World Cup finish.
The downhill title was claimed by Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen with a winning time of 1:51.61. Host nation Italy secured two podium places, with Giovanni Franzoni finishing second and Dominik Paris taking third. Pre-race favourite Marco Odermatt of Switzerland narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.
Finland’s Olympic programme on Saturday continued with women’s combined cross-country skiing and women’s ice hockey later in the day. In freestyle skiing, Finnish male athletes were also scheduled to compete in slopestyle qualification during the afternoon, as Finland looked to build on its mixed start to the Games.
