After a packed weekend of competition, South Africa’s Winter Olympic athletes continue to thrill, with Thomas Weir set to compete in today’s alpine skiing run.
Milano Cortina, Italy (16 February 2026) – South Africa’s athletes made their presence felt in a busy weekend at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, with the country’s largest-ever Winter Games group taking to snow and ice across multiple disciplines.
Leading the charge was 21-year-old freestyle skier Malica Malherbe, who competed in the Last 16 of the women’s dual moguls. Matched against Jaelin Kauf from the United States, Malica faced a tough course and finished 30th overall.
Thomas Weir took on a challenging alpine skiing course of 1,428m with a 390m drop. Completing two runs in a combined time of 2:52.03, with his second run seven seconds faster than the first, Thomas placed 63rd overall. This is indeed an admirable effort in a field where 12 athletes did not finish. He will be back on course today, giving South African fans another chance to cheer him on in the alpine skiing run.
Meanwhile, Nicole Burger tackled the skeleton, completing her third and fourth heats over the weekend. Starting in heat three in 25th place, she maintained that ranking, finishing 25th overall with a total time of 3:58.10
It was also a birthday debut to remember for Lara Markthaler, who competed in her first Winter Olympics and finished 47th.
Matt Smith kicked off Team SA’s action on Friday in the men’s 10km cross-country skiing final, finishing in a time of 30:04.4. Matt showed tremendous dedication to the sport, which he only picked up two years ago after moving from Cape Town to Norway. He reflects on his Olympic debut as a dream come true.
“I’m just sort of coming in here as a smiley-faced, energetic, South African guy who’s in his mid-30s, just trying to fulfil a dream of representing my country and going to the Olympics, so I can get the tattoo here.”
Today, all eyes are on Thomas Weir, who will take to the alpine skiing run. Fans can follow his performance and the rest of Team SA’s schedule and results here.
For more information on how to watch the Winter Olympics, follow the link here.
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