Lara Naki Gutmann — Snowboardcross Seeding Kicks Off at Livigno as Skeleton DSQ Roils Games
Lara Naki Gutmann. Day 6 of the Milan Cortina Games brought pivotal seeding runs for men's snowboard cross at Livigno Snow Park, a surprise silver in the women's halfpipe, and a contentious disqualification in men's skeleton that ended with an accreditation withdrawal.
Lara Naki Gutmann and the early snowboard-cross picture
Men’s snowboard cross seeding runs were getting under way at Livigno Snow Park, and the field lined up with recognizable names and storylines. First up on the course was Nick Baumgartner — the 44-year-old, five-time Olympian from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The runs featured a mix of established veterans and recent champions whose lane positions and recent results shaped the pre-race narrative.
Frenchman Loan Bozzolo was set for run No. 6. Canada’s Éliot Grondin, who runs No. 7, arrives with the cachet of being the 2025 World Champion and carries the weight of being the betting favorite after narrowly missing gold in a photo-finish at Beijing 2022. Australia’s Adam Lambert was slotted 12th, entering the day as the World Cup standings leader. Austria’s Alessandro Hämmerle, the 2022 gold medalist, was listed at No. 13; he is described as a veteran contender but is still 11 years younger than Baumgartner.
On the Cortina track, American Austin Florian set a new start record, but mistakes late in his run dropped him to 12th with a time of 56. 95 seconds, 0. 74 seconds behind the leader, Matt Weston from Britain. Those margins and the seeded order set a tense scene ahead of elimination rounds, where small errors and tight finishes are decisive.
Skeleton disqualification, accreditation withdrawal and reaction
The day’s other major development came in men’s skeleton, where a disqualification created a significant stir. An athlete was disqualified for continuing to wear a helmet commemorating the lives of Ukrainian athletes lost since Russia’s invasion; he has since filed an appeal. The official start list initially omitted him, then added him at the bottom with a DSQ notation beside his name. There was visible reaction at the venue, with a family member being consoled outside the competition area.
The athlete said he feels "empty. " The IOC moved to withdraw his accreditation from the Milan Cortina 2026 Games, issuing a statement that it had "decided to, with regret, withdraw his accreditation from the Milan Cortina 2026 Games. " The organization noted multiple exchanges and an in-person meeting had taken place, and indicated the matter had not reached a compromise.
What to watch next
With seeding runs finished and the field set, attention will shift to head-to-head races in snowboard cross where names like Baumgartner, Grondin, Hämmerle, Lambert and Bozzolo will be tested in direct elimination. The narrow margins recorded at Livigno and the presence of both seasoned Olympians and recent world champions suggest tightly contested heats.
Separately, the skeleton disqualification and subsequent accreditation action introduce an additional layer of off-track drama that could linger through appeals. That procedural and disciplinary fallout will be monitored alongside preparations for the next rounds of competition.
Across these headlines — the shuffle of seeds at Livigno, Chloe Kim’s silver in the halfpipe, and the high-profile skeleton disqualification — the Games continue to produce quick pivots between athletic outcomes and governance controversies.
