With four gold medals, Dario Cologna is the most successful Swiss Winter Olympian in history. The man from Graubünden is looking forward to the Games closer to home and is not mourning his retirement.
04.02.2026, 05:00
04.02.2026, 06:52
SDA
Dario Cologna, if I may say so, your timing is bad. You took part in four Olympic Games, the last one before that was in Turin in 2006, and now Milan/Cortina follows. You're missing out with your Italian roots.
(smiles) Yes.
You retired too early.
I've already been told that. But I'll be 40 years old in two months.
You've been to the Olympic Games in Canada, Russia, South Korea and China. Those weren't particularly atmospheric competitions for cross-country skiers.
The Olympic Games are always a little less atmospheric than the World Championships. There are more rules and less space for spectators. Nevertheless, as a young athlete it was of course a special trip to Vancouver, exciting, something different from simply going to a World Cup.
It was special for you that you were at least one of the favorites at the very first games in Vancouver. Was it even an advantage that it was far away and the pressure was perhaps a little less because of that?
Yes, perhaps. I was still young, but after winning the Tour de Ski and the overall World Cup I was no longer a blank slate. The attention this year was something new for us as cross-country skiers. But I was young and carefree, so it wasn't too much for me.
But the ambition to win a medal was already there?
Yes, of course. I had another injury in the fall and started the season a little later, which perhaps took some of the pressure off. (smiles) It didn't turn out too badly.
(The waiter in the café in Davos comes and takes the order, three municipal police officers sit at the next table and look over).
Are you actually recognized more in Norway than in Zurich, for example?
No. I definitely get approached more often in Zurich.
Still?
Yes. Not all the time, but from time to time. That's also very nice.
To come back to the question at the beginning. Have you never regretted your resignation?
It was a good time for me. I had already made up my mind beforehand, and last year wasn't the best. It didn't all work out as I had hoped, but it worked out for me. I became a father. And you have to be honest enough. I was always at the front and that became difficult.
Just running a bit more for good but not top places wasn't for you?
No. You have to be realistic. When you're young, you can always take another step forward or simply have a bad season. But at some point it becomes difficult.
Now you're in Val di Fiemme as an observer, so to speak, as a TV expert for SRF. Are you looking forward to your return?
Yes, I think it's great, Val di Fiemme is a traditional venue. I would have loved to run there four years ago or even earlier. It's also cool in terms of the successes I've had here. The courses are beautiful and the atmosphere is sure to be good. And it's certainly good for the athletes, you know how everything works. It's definitely a slightly different situation to the last Games. Apart from Sochi, I've never raced on the respective courses before the Olympics.
You have celebrated many of your greatest victories in Val di Fiemme.
The first success at the Tour de Ski was a bit of a breakthrough. Things didn't always work out as well at the World Championships as they did at the Olympics. The world championship title in the skiathlon was a cool victory. A very nice day with a great atmosphere.
You are now in your fourth year as a TV pundit. How did you experience the change?
It was a bit of an adjustment at first. But I quickly felt comfortable, and of course it helped that I was close to the action and had a lot to say.
Do you sometimes have to be careful not to say too much?
You have to be a bit sensitive. If you know someone from Switzerland very closely, perhaps not everything you find out in a personal conversation is intended for television. You can't take advantage of that, but it's not such a problem, you can tell the difference.
So they still talk to you.
(smiles) Yes. Some of them are still really good colleagues, so we often talk to each other anyway, it's not always about having something to talk about on TV. It's important that the athletes feel that it's meant to be a togetherness.
Is this also a nice way for you to stay connected with top-class sport?
Exactly. It's a good way for me. I didn't necessarily want to join the team as a trainer or coach and I also wanted a bit of distance. I don't have to be on the road all the time, but I have now been to two World Championships and now the Olympics and can pass on my knowledge. I find that exciting.
What do you expect from the Olympics in sporting terms? Can Klaebo win six gold medals?
He did it at the World Championships last year. The individual start in skating over 10 km is probably his biggest problem. Classic would be more likely for him, but it was close there too last year. He's not my first favorite, but it's definitely possible.
In Switzerland, there have been complaints recently that strong skiers can't compete at the Olympics because of the country quotas. But in cross-country skiing we're happy about the country restrictions, aren't we?
There is also a discussion in Norway. There are always nations that dominate a sport. It's always been the case that it's easier to finish in the top 10 or top 20 at the Olympics than in the World Cup, where there are seven or eight Norwegians and four at the Olympics. But winning is still just as difficult. Many people say it's boring in cross-country skiing because the Norwegians are too dominant. We Swiss are often dominant in alpine skiing too. (laughs) But that doesn't bother us, of course.
What do you think the Swiss cross-country skiers can do at the Olympics?
The starting position is not so bad. After all, we have a chance of winning a medal. With Nadine Fähndrich, we definitely have a chance in the individual sprint, and certainly also in the two team sprints for women and men. We'll be happy if the Norwegians or Swedes are only allowed to field one team.
Why is Switzerland significantly better at sprinting than at the distance?
That's a good question. There's not much coming from the youngsters, they're far away.
Is it easier to motivate the youngsters for the sprint because there's more action?
In terms of training, it's not that much different. Maybe you're a bit quicker at the front in the sprint. Let's take Isai Näff as an example. He also won a medal in the classic 10 in the juniors, but at the moment he's quite far away there, especially compared to the sprint, where he's very good. There is a danger that he will now become a pure sprinter. We certainly have to watch out a bit. In the women's race, it's Nadja Kälin in particular who can finish in the top 10 in the distance races.
Is it a problem for cross-country skiing in Switzerland if there is less and less snow?
It is a problem for all winter sports. If you have snow in the lowlands, for example around Zurich on the Bachtel or in Einsiedeln, you get a lot more children on skis. Without snow, you get fewer people to go cross-country skiing and try it out. That's certainly not a good development.
Surprises rarely happen in cross-country skiing. As a TV expert, do you have any ideas on how to make the sport more attractive for television?
It would be important for us to have Swiss athletes at the front. People certainly watched more in my day. In general, too few nations are at the forefront, in my time it was more widely distributed. Today, it's practically only the Norwegians in the men's event, which certainly doesn't help. You can also see in other sports that it's important for the Swiss to be at the front.
Could you, for example, put heart rate monitors on the runners and show the values so that you can follow the exertion during the race on TV? Or how the heart rate rises on a tricky downhill run?
There is certainly a lot more that could be done. But you should also make sure that it doesn't get too much so that you don't overwhelm the spectators.
Is it also because the Scandinavians dominate, for whom it works and who are more traditionally minded?
They've actually done quite a lot in cross-country skiing. There is already the sprint, the mass start and the skiathlon. An innovative format has also been created with the Tour de Ski. You can't say that nothing has been done. But it's true that it's perhaps not the most spectacular sport to watch.
You might have to add obstacles, small jumps or something like that.
Yes, but then it's no longer cross-country skiing. You can't completely change a sport.
You are actively campaigning for the 2038 Olympic Games in Switzerland. How high do you think the chances are?
The hope is great, of course. With the privileged dialog, you have a unique opportunity. If not now, then it will probably be difficult. The IOC has given us the opportunity to get the Games if we can manage it by 2027. The IOC is interested in countries like Switzerland.
Are we ready for that?
I have sensed that some people are a bit negative, perhaps also because of these Games in Russia, Korea or China. But they want to go in a different direction, use more of the infrastructure that exists to become more sustainable. I think that's exactly what Switzerland can offer.
