Ollie Davies, Team GB's men's ski cross athlete, is hoping to continue the momentum from Great Britain's recent snowboard cross success as he prepares for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Davies, who made history as GB's first Olympian in ski cross at Beijing 2022, is set to compete in Livigno on Saturday, with seeding, heats and finals all taking place on the same day.
The event shares similarities with snowboard cross, featuring seeding rounds followed by four-person heats where the top two advance. However, Davies notes key differences: “We're a little bit quicker so the draft isn't the same. The start is the same, but they've changed it for us so it's quicker. Then we do stuff that they can't do and vice versa.” He added that certain combinations work for both disciplines, so there are no secrets.
Davies finished 31st on his Olympic debut in Beijing and has since benefited from a change in coaching set-up. He enters these Games with confidence after an impressive December on the World Cup circuit, despite a disappointing test event in February. “It wasn't so good. It was the first test on the track, so it was pretty slow,” he said. “They changed it quite a bit after the snowboarders left, they've injected some turns, and they've just watered it so it becomes an ice rink. They've added a couple more jumps, so it's better, there's more action.”
Davies had direct input into the course changes as Team GB's sole ski cross athlete, alongside input from other competing nations. He was present to watch Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale win gold in the snowboard cross team event last week, which he described as “pretty special.” He hopes the success will generate more exposure and support for the sport.
The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics run from February 6-22, with over 850 hours of live action available on discovery+ via Prime Video in the UK.
