After his two world championship titles, Noé Roth wins Olympic silver. The ski acrobat experiences a day full of different emotions in Livigno.
20.02.2026, 17:21
SDA
"Complete the mission" is written on the shirt that Michel Roth, national coach and Noé's father, is wearing under his thick winter jacket. The mission was the Olympic medal. For how long? Even the Roths don't know exactly.
It actually began in the early 2000s, when Noé discovered his love of trampolining at an early age. His love of jumping solidified in the 2010s and he took part in his first Olympic Games at the age of 17. In the 2020s, he was among the absolute world elite, became world champion twice and then set his sights on the Winter Games again.
Now the Olympic medal is here, and Noé Roth is searching for the right words to express his feelings at every interview station. "It's incredible, I'm enormously proud," says the 25-year-old, wiping his eyes from time to time. He is following in his mother's footsteps: Colette Brand won bronze in Nagano in 1998, her son won silver 28 years later. "It's a huge childhood dream that has come true."
Only briefly disappointed
A good 40 minutes after the competition, the fact that it wasn't gold by the narrowest of margins no longer plays a major role. Father Michel seems to be a little more disappointed that he missed out by just 1.02 points. "The first moment after the jump, I thought: that's it," says Michel Roth. A long wait followed, an almost unbearable feeling for him and his son.
Then the certainty: silver, not gold. At first, Noé Roth also seems a little disappointed in the finish area, but this feeling quickly gives way to joy. Because things could have turned out very differently that day.
In the morning, the Zug native experienced, as he says, "the most stressful 20 minutes of my life". Because Roth made small mistakes in both qualifying jumps, he had to worry for a long time before finishing twelfth and securing the last place in the final.
"After that, I knew I had nothing to lose," says Noé Roth. Liberated, he already achieved over 130 points in the first final jump. This means he starts the decisive round as the last of the top 6 jumpers. The tension during the wait is enormous. He repeatedly goes through the sequences of his jump in his head - and then fulfills his mission. "I knew that I was being pushed hard. But I kind of like that too: I jump better under pressure."
A circle comes full circle
One drop of bitterness remains: Unlike last year at the World Championships in St. Moritz, Pirmin Werner is not also on the podium this time. For the second Swiss, who is good friends with Noé Roth, a previously outstanding competition ended with a fall on landing. "If he had stood it, he would also have been on the podium," Michel Roth is certain. "But you can see how close it is at this level."
The fact that the athletes have to risk everything in the battle for the medals underlines Noé Roth's performance all the more. "He did a tremendous job," says Michel Roth, who also hints at his farewell amidst the emotions. It was probably his last Olympic Games, says the coach.
It would come as no surprise: he has been national coach since 1991 and in this role has already seen his wife jump to Olympic bronze. His son's silver medal now completes the circle.
