THEor ski mountaineering does its thing historic debut at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics and Italy already has an absolute protagonist: Giulia Murada. On the snow of the Stelvio in Bormio, the Italian dominated her heat, gaining a pass to the semi-final and confirming that she is the athlete to beat. But who is this girl from Valtellina who has transformed fatigue into a real philosophy of life?
Giulia Murada in Milan Cortina 2026, a “daughter of art” born among the peaks
Born in 1998, Giulia Murada grew up in Albosaggiaa small town in the province of Sondrio considered the cradle of Italian ski mountaineering. Her destiny seemed written: she is in fact the daughter of Ivan Muradalegend of the discipline and world champion in 2002.
Today his father is also his coach, a relationship based on total trust and sincerity. Giulia explained their bond like this: «There is a lot of transparency between us. He can tell if I’m in shape just by seeing me skiing, and this allows us to adapt each training session.”
Giulia Murada in action at Milano Cortina 2026 in ski mountaineering (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The philosophy of effort: «I prefer the climb»
Unlike many colleagues, Giulia did not love skiing right away. The spark only struck when he discovered sealskins and the beauty of the climb. For her, earning the descent with physical effort is a necessity.
«I like to work hard and I prefer to earn the descents with a good grind beforehand”, declared the athlete. This attitude of sacrifice has led her to collect successes right from the youth categories, winning Under 23 world golds and becoming a regular presence on the World Cup podiums.
Preparation for ski mountaineering: between cycling and mental strength
To arrive ready for your appointment Milan-Cortina 2026Giulia left nothing to chance. In addition to skis, during summer travels about 5000 km by bicyclea passion born to recover from an injury and which has become an integral part of his rigorous method.
But the real leap in quality came with the work on pressure management: «Maybe a few years ago it would have been tension, now it’s just energy and motivation». Graduated in Tourism Sciences, Murada represents the face of a new generation of athletes: methodical, cultured and hungry for victories.
Giulia Murada, Olympic dream in Bormio
With the debut of ski mountaineering as an additional sport, the pressure is very high, but Giulia Murada doesn’t want to hide. After a career full of prestigious placings, the goal is the top step of the podium. «No one is here just to participate. I have many podiums but zero victories, I want to dream big: we want the medals», he concluded with determination.
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