Exclusive: Federico Pellegrino sees Milano Cortina 2026 as "ultimate goal of my career"
The veteran Italian cross-country skier speaks to Olympics.com of his focus on a dream Olympic Winter Games farewell on home snow at Milano Cortina 2026.
Cross-Country Skiing
Federico Pellegrino is gearing up for one last dance on the Olympic stage.
The Italian veteran has two silver medals in cross-country skiing from three Winter Games appearances starting at Sochi 2014.
The perfect ending to the Aosta-born athlete's career would be on home snow at Milano Cortina 2026, when he will be 35, but Pellegrino wants to enjoy the journey by giving everything he has, physically and mentally.
“Ahead of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics, rather than putting pressure on myself, I've set myself a goal,” Pellegrino tells Olympics.com at an Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI) Media Day. “I've approached my career this way, and now after the Beijing [2022] Olympics, I decided to take a seasonal approach instead of a daily one, pushing forward relentlessly.
“I'm now a little over a year away from that event, in a physical and mental condition where considering it as the ultimate goal of my career is more than justified. Yes, we could call it pressure, but it's positive. Because it's my choice and it's my goal.”
The countdown to Milano Cortina is well and truly underway, and Pellegrino is tuned in for home glory.
Federico Pellegrino: ‘I saw the sport only as a way to have fun’
Sprint specialist Pellegrino became world champion in 2017 in Lahti, Finland, and has two sprint discipline crystal globes (2016, 2021) to his name.
He has 18 individual World Cup wins out of 45 podium finishes since making his Cross-Country World Cup debut in March 2010, and was third overall in the World Cup in 2023.
With two Olympic individual sprint silver medals - at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022 - as well, Pellegrino has been his country's most successful male cross-country skier in recent years despite not having been especially dedicated to the sport in his youth.
“I believe one of my greatest fortunes in having a long career is that, until the opportunity to truly compete at the highest levels of my sport came my way, I didn’t care much about it," he reveals. "I saw cross-country skiing only as a way to have fun. I was 15 years old at the Torino 2006 Olympics, and I barely remember those races.
“For those approaching the mountains for the first time, I recommend trying the challenge of cross-country skiing as well. While at first it may be a considerable physical effort, the satisfaction from a mental perspective is truly great.”
Those Torino Games, the last time Italy hosted the extravaganza, took on greater significance for Pellegrino when he crossed paths with one of the heroes of 2006.
He recalls, “Over time, however, when my passion turned into a career, I started studying my opponents. And for a few years, I shared a room with Giorgio Di Centa, who was the Olympic champion in the 50km at Torino. So, I certainly look at that time as an important past for my sport.”
Federico Pellegrino: enjoying the ride to Milano Cortina
Pellegrino will be hoping to add to his tally of two Olympic and six World Championship medals before the end of his distinguished career. Trondheim in Norway hosts the 2025 Nordic World Ski Championships with the individual sprint finals on 27 February.
After that, the 34-year-old will be desperate to qualify for his home Games and bid for a first Olympic gold on home snow in 2026, although he will be there regardless having been elected to the Athletes' Commision for Milano Cortina.
“[It] makes me think about how exciting and high-level it will be to compete on slopes where we race every year in the World Cup," Pellegrino admits. "And once every decade, cross-country skiing holds a World Championship on that very same snow.
"It will be amazing, because there will be a large audience, which is something we really need. And being able to return to race on a track in a location with a strong tradition in my discipline will be truly wonderful."
The cross-country events at the Milano Cortina Games will take place in Tesero from 7-22 February 2026.