Alpine skiing concludes: challenges, triumphs and a beaming champion

The men’s slalom concluded the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games alpine skiing competition on Wednesday, 22 January.

The entire skiing community came together once again as athletes cheered each other on. The fact that Italy was able to win one more medal on the final day of action in Bardonecchia contributed to a perfect ending.

Silver in front of home crowd

Italy’s Stefano Pizzato will certainly remember the day for a long time. The 21-year-old managed an almost perfect second run, which catapulted him from ninth to second place, in 1:20.43. “I’m so happy to win a medal here at home, especially because my dad is here to cheer for me. He even drove me to the competition. To share this moment with him makes it even more special.”

Many competitors struggled with the course in the first run. The surface degraded quickly, making it increasingly difficult for the racers at the back of the start list to set fast times. Many of them dropped out before the finish line. An impressive 106 athletes lined up at the start, 42 of whom did not reach the line on their first try.

“The first run was very challenging. However, I was lucky with start number 3, as the course was perfectly prepared for me. For the second run, I set myself the goal of pushing harder. And I think that worked pretty well,” reflected Pizzato, who studies at the Niccolo Cusano Online University, with a broad grin on his face.

The alpine skiing family

Watching the last alpine skiing event at these Games, one could really feel how close the skiing family is beyond their own national borders.

Countless athletes came together in the finish area to loudly support the racers. Pins and jackets were exchanged everywhere between the nations, including Switzerland’s Joel Luetolf and Swede Adam Palmer. “This is my souvenir of the Games here in Torino,” said fourth-place finisher Luetolf, who missed the podium by 14 hundredths of a second.

A beaming winner from Japan

The fastest skier on the day was Takayuki Koyama from Japan, who won in 1:20.32 with a lead of 11 hundredths over Pizzato. Behind the Italian, Paul Silvestre from France completed the podium in 1:20.58.

The winner was understandably beaming. “I’m incredibly happy that I managed to win the gold medal here.” The student from Nihon University was in third place after the first run, almost half a second behind the leader. “During the second run, I kept telling myself ‘Go faster, go faster, go faster.’”

After a short break, the 23-year-old added, “I really enjoyed competing here in Italy. Everyone is so friendly and helpful. The organisers and the volunteers have done an incredibly good job.”

The Torino 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 13-23 January. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.

Written by Elena Häfliger, FISU Young Reporter, Switzerland

The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.

We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.