Italian Olympian Shares Update After Struggling to Breathe

Tommaso Giacomel, 25, arrived at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as one of Italy's most promising medal contenders in biathlon. So, in the men's 15km mass start at the Anterselva Biathlon Arena on Friday, he was doing exactly what was expected of him until chaos altered his fate. 

He was leading the field after two clean shooting stages, shooting a perfect 10-for-10 in the first two prone stages and leading the field at the halfway mark. But then Giacomel was forced to retire mid-race after experiencing a sudden pain that prevented him from breathing properly. 

The camera captured him slowing dramatically on the third lap's opening stretch, eventually sitting down in the snow. He then got immediate treatment from the team's medical staff. The Italian federation confirmed he retired because of a hip issue that made it difficult to breathe, and he received further care from the team doctor on-site.

He was later transferred to a hospital for further evaluation. And following his unfortunate retirement, Norway's Johannes Dale-Skjevdal won the gold to become the only athlete in the 30-man field to shoot perfectly, going 20-for-20 on his targets.

Though his home Olympics ended in disappointment, Giacomel later confirmed via social media that he was stable and receiving care. Writing from his hospital bed on Instagram, Giacomel addressed his DNF and described feeling utterly powerless. 

He wrote, "Right after the second prone my body somehow stopped working properly and I was really struggling to breath and to move, therefore I had to stop. Worst feeling I have ever experienced in my life so far."