2026 Olympics Held In Which Country — South African Lara Markthaler Marks Birthday with Historic Olympic Run

Emerson Raymont

Published: February 22, 2026 1:45 PM ET

2026 Olympics held in which country appears in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy — and on Feb. 15 19-year-old South African Lara Markthaler celebrated her birthday by officially becoming an Olympian at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games, a moment she said matters because she is her nation’s first female Olympic alpine skier.

2026 Olympics Held In Which Country

The Milan-Cortina Winter Games are taking place in Italy, and on Sunday, Feb. 15 at Cortina d'Ampezzo Lara Markthaler completed a run that made her an Olympian at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Center, saying, "What a way to celebrate my 19th birthday. "

Birthday run at Tofane Alpine Skiing Center

Markthaler finished 47th among the 54 competitors who completed the race at Tofane, and she described the emotional arc from the start gate to the finish area: "It was so amazing to know that once I pushed out that start-gate I am an Olympian. I'm so glad I made it to the finish. I have so many friends here, cheering me on and with a banner. "

A surprise jump into the finish

The course at Tofane included a jump into the finish area, an unusual feature for a GS run; Markthaler said the jump was "unexpected, well, not unexpected, because I saw it with the others, but usually GS runs don't have any jumps. " She added she "actually felt kind of OK going over" and that "maybe in second run, I can go a bit faster and I might jump a bit further. "

Racing alongside Federica Brignone

Markthaler competed in the same field as Italy's first-run leader Federica Brignone and noted a personal connection: she met Brignone "a few days ago at a Rossignol photo-shoot" and "got a photo with her. " She said she saw Brignone at the top and called Brignone "so incredible for what she's done in the past year, coming back from a double leg fracture. "

Historic moment for South Africa and what's next

Markthaler emphasized the wider significance for South Africa: "For me, it's really important to put South Africa on the ski racing map. " She noted the national delegation is "only five in the whole South Africa team at this Winter Olympics and it is a historic team for us this year, the biggest team that has ever been sent to the Winter Olympics. " Markthaler said being "the first female alpine skier at the Olympics for South Africa is a very big honor, " mentioned South Africa's Tiffindell ski resort, and added she hopes to "maybe even just inspire one young girl to start skiing. That would be a great accomplishment for me. " She closed the run-day with a human moment: "I am still shaking. Now I need a hot chocolate. "

Markthaler has signaled a possible second run when the giant slalom continues, saying she might seek a faster second run; unclear in the provided context is the exact scheduling for that next run.