The Shohei Otani of Snow, Ester Ledecka, Is Poised To Claim Olympic Gold Medals In Two Sports
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games schedule is not favorable to Ester Ledecka, but the ultra-talented ski racer and snowboarder has defied the odds before.
The 30-year-old Czech triple Olympic champion, who has won two golds in parallel snowboard GS and one in alpine skiing super-G, is prepared to attempt her third consecutive skiing and snowboard double at the Olympics in Italy.
It seems almost mind-blowing that Ledecka has continued to prosper at the upper echelons of two sports, ever since she shocked the snow sports world, charging to both skiing and snowboarding gold at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics.
A problematic scheduling quirk at the upcoming Winter Games, however, places both her snowboard parallel GS in Livigno and the alpine skiing super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
Ledecka will be forced to drop one of her signature events. The silver lining is that her Olympic skiing/snowboarding double is still doable, as the women’s super-G is four days later, on Feb. 13.
“If the program stays like it is, I’ll probably do the snowboard PGS and then ski the super-G,” Ledecka says. “It’s still a crazy plan, but I believe it’s possible.
“I believe I can still put on a very good show, but it’s just difficult with the schedule,” she said, referring to the conflict of events and distance between venues. “Everyone seems kind of shocked because they want to see me race in both sports.”
Since snowboarding’s inclusion into the Olympic program in 1998, no athlete besides Ester has even attempted to compete in both sports, let alone bring home two gold medals as she accomplished in 2018. Hers is a truly remarkable feat.
Keep reading for more on Ester Ledecka’s plans for Milan-Cortina 2026.
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Mission Impossible: How Ledecka Excels at Skiing and Snowboarding
Ledecka’s trusted snowboard coach is a former world championship silver medalist from Colorado, Justin Reiter. Their visions align, and the results are unrivaled. Reiter, a 2014 Olympian, also collaborates alongside her skiing coaches, as the greater team devises a winter training and competition schedule, and a game plan to ultimately benefit her wishes.
Reiter believes Ledecka possesses an amalgamation of traits that elevate her to elite athlete status. “Intelligence and creativity are side by side with drive, strength, and feel,” he says. “And that’s when you’re very fortunate to work with someone that’s very special.”
Last season, the Czech star astonished the snow sports world yet again, pulling off another historic first. Ledecka sped to a downhill bronze medal at ski racing’s world championship in Saalbach, Austria, in February. She topped that performance with snowboard world championship gold and silver medals in Engadin, Switzerland, in March. In doing so, she became the first athlete to win world championship medals in both sports within the same season.
“I didn’t know that no one had done this before me, but I kind of assumed it,” Ledecka says, with a smile. “My goal was succeeding at two championships, which I achieved. I’m always trying to win every race, but there are some very fast girls out there, especially on the skiing side.”
Juggling two disciplines is no piece of cake, but Ester and her cohesive team have learned to perfect the recipe for her to taste top speed in both delicacies. The rewards have been sweet.
In addition to her three Olympic gold medals and three world championship titles, Ledecka has amassed 25 World Cup snowboard victories and seven season titles (4 overall, 3 PGS). On skis, she has raced to four wins (2 DH, 2 SG) and 11 podiums.
Navigating the Scheduling Complexities of Milan-Cortina 2026
Reiter, like Ledecka, is not pleased with the unexpected Olympic conundrum that the team has been forced to navigate. Their request for a schedule change has been supported by the Czech Olympic Committee.
“By all means, she should be there, and in my opinion if one of the best is not in the field, it’s not a real gold for whoeverever walks away with it, and there should be an asterisk,” Reiter says bluntly, referring to the women’s Olympic downhill.
“I am quite surprised at the IOC’s inability to create a workable solution, so that all of the best athletes can be represented in both disciplines.”
A Helicopter Ride Between Events?
International Ski Federation (FIS) president Johan Eliasch proclaims that he has backed Ledecka in attempting to resolve the predicament.
“She’s a phenomenal athlete and the Winter Games, this time, are not conducive for an athlete like Ester to do what she can do,” Eliasch told POWDER. “Personally, I championed the cause with Ester, speaking with the IOC to try and find solutions.
There was chatter that perhaps the women’s Olympic downhill could be moved to earlier in the morning and snowboard PGS heats later in the afternoon. The complex scenario might then involve a helicopter ride to transport the Czech athlete between venues, located about 160 miles apart. Ester was ultimately against taking on the complexities and rigorous demands associated with the idea.
“We left no stone unturned, but there was not a sustainable solution,” Eliasch said. “It is disappointing.” Milan-Cortina 2026 organizers and the IOC had the final word. A schedule change was ruled unfeasible.
“I understand it is not easy to change a set schedule with TV and everything,” Ledecka says. “But it would be nice to have all of the great athletes at the start in both these sports. I really believe I’m one of them.”
Photo: Pierre Teyssot/Getty Images
The IOC Addresses the Situation
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi explained the IOC’s stance some months ago, while Ledecka and her team were still fighting for change.
“She’s a very special athlete, of course, but you have other considerations when organizing the Games,” Dubi said. “We are proud that these Games are diverse in their geographic scope.
“The consequence is that athletes like her will need to adapt. She’s unique, but there are tens of thousands of moving parts in Games preparation. It’s very complicated to accommodate a request from one individual, although we recognize her remarkable capabilities.”
Li Jing/Xinhua via Getty Images
Italian Conspiracy?
Reiter points out that World Cup snowboard PGS races have been successfully staged in Cortina, whereas the new Olympic venue Livigno is untested and unproven.
The outspoken coach hasn’t ruled out an Italian conspiracy theory, considering the peculiar and unforeseen circumstances, an alteration from previous Olympic schedules.
“It raises the question of, okay, are they trying to eliminate one of the previous medal contenders because the Italians have such a strong team,” Reiter wonders. “In short, there’s no real solution that makes any sense, especially when alpine snowboarding is a simple discipline and very easy to move.”
Charging Onward on Snowboard and Skis
Team Ledecka forges forward at full speed, now playing with the cards that they have been dealt. “Snowboarders are used to disadvantages and being on the back of the bus,” Reiter says, referring to Ledecka’s snow sports roots.
“Ester and I have a very concise plan: we go to the race, we f***ing win, and then we go to the next race. There are steps within our team with adaptation periods, and it’s a neurological adaptation. She has worked really well with this in the past.
“But now we have a situation with a very compressed timeline,” he says, referring to the Olympic challenge. “We started working over a year ago on how to maximize the transition period from snowboarding to skiing.”
Ester is clearly adaptable, resilient, and immensely talented when it comes to battling through adverse situations. It runs in her blood. Her grandfather Jan Klapáč is a two-time Olympic hockey medalist, having represented the former Czechoslovakia.
Ledecka’s ultimate goals extend beyond just winning. She aims to inspire, entertain, and spark greater enthusiasm among anyone and everyone who may be fascinated by her multi-sport endeavors. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders are still talked about to this day.
“It’s really cool because I always have many people coming to cheer for me – there are a lot of great girls out there, but I am for them a little bit different considering what I am doing,” Ledecka says.
“I’m lucky to have created this feeling and the Olympics are so cool showing off so many different sports – they are a real festival of sports.”
And Ester – unlike any other Olympian – will be doing two.
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