Ski mountaineer Filippov will qualify for the Olympics on February 19.

Ski mountaineer Nikita Filippov will start the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy on February 19. The athlete will participate in the sprint qualification. Filippov will perform in a neutral status, without national symbols.

Ski mountaineering was introduced into the Olympic discipline in 2026. It's a mix of cross-country skiing, trail running, and downhill skiing events. The first round of the sprint will begin at 12:30 Moscow time, followed by the final at 14:44 Moscow time. The distance of the ski mountaineering race at the 2026 Olympic Games is 610 m with a 70-meter ascent.

In the discipline, six athletes start at the same time. They use shorter and lighter skis than downhill skis. The first stage of the route requires climbing uphill, the second one is already being overcome by running down this slope. Ski climbers' shoes have a special design.

During the transition between the stages, the participants do not leave their skis — they fasten them on their backs on a special backpack. At the top, the athletes change the ski cover and embark on a downhill run to the finish line. Their goal is to cover the entire distance as quickly as possible.

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Nikita Filippov was born on November 22, 2002 in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. He has been involved in sports since childhood: at the age of two, his father put him on skis, at the age of five he went to karate and mountain hiking, and at eight he joined the biathlon. At the age of 12, Filippov became familiar with ski mountaineering and soon made it his main discipline.

At the age of 15, Filippov completely focused on ski mountaineering, choosing sprints and vertical races. In 2018, he finished fourth at the European Championships, and later became ninth at the World Championships, despite losing time due to a technical problem at the start. At the 2020 Youth Olympic Games– he reached the sprint final and took sixth place.

By the age of 23, he became a 23-time national champion in the Russian arena. After a three–year break from international competitions, he returned to the World Cup in 2025, where he finished fourth and fifth in the sprint at various stages and qualified for the 2026 Olympic Games. In December, he received a neutral status and an official invitation from the IOC to participate in the Games.

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