Dario Cologna

Dario Cologna
Dario Cologna
	Dario Cologna during World Cup competitions in Seefeld in Tirol, Austria, in January 2018
Country	Switzerland
Born	11 March 1986 (age 38); Santa Maria Val Müstair,; Switzerland
Height	179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Ski club	SC Val Müstair
World Cup career
Seasons	16 – (2007–2022)
Indiv. starts	285
Indiv. podiums	73
Indiv. wins	26
Team starts	18
Team podiums	2
Team wins	1
Overall titles	4 – (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015)
Discipline titles	4 – (4 DI)
Medal record
Men's cross-country skiing
Representing Switzerland
International nordic ski competitions
Olympic Games
World Championships
U23 World Championships
Junior World Championships
	Updated on 23 March 2022.

Dario Cologna (born 11 March 1986) is a Swiss retired cross-country skier. He has four overall World Cup victories, four Olympic gold medals, one World Championships gold medal and four Tour de Ski victories in his career.

On 3 November 2021, he announced his retirement from cross-country skiing following the 2021–2022 season.^[1]^[2]

Early life

Cologna is a native Rumantsch speaker. He was born in Santa Maria Val Müstair, in the Lower Engadine, to Italian parents. His father Remo is from Val di Non in Trentino, while his mother Christine is from Stelvio/Stilfs in South Tyrol.^[3]

He holds both Italian and Swiss citizenship.^[4]

He is the older brother of Swiss skier Gianluca Cologna.^[5]

Career

Early career and the breakthrough 2008–09 season

In 2006, Dario Cologna won a bronze medal at the 10 km classic event in the Junior World Championships in Kranj, Slovenia. Cologna debuted in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Kuusamo in November 2006 and took his first points in Falun in March 2007. During the 2007–08 season, Cologna finished in the top ten four times and placed 37th overall.

In December 2008, Cologna took his first World Cup podium finish with second place in the 30-kilometre competition in La Clusaz. On 27 December, he won his first World Cup race as he finished first on the 15 km classic pursuit on stage two of the 2008–09 Tour de Ski. He went on to win the Tour in January 2009, finishing the final event almost a minute ahead of runner-up Petter Northug.^[6] Cologna also won the overall 2008–09 World Cup with more than 100 points in front of the runner-up after placing first twice and another three times on the podium.

2010 and 2014 Olympics

He finished the 2009–10 FIS Cross-Country World Cup fourth, winning a race and taking two other podiums. He also came in third in the 2009–10 Tour de Ski. In the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, he won the gold medal in the men's 15km freestyle event. Cologna is the first Swiss to win a cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics.^[7]

Cologna won the 2010–11 FIS Cross-Country World Cup with more than 300 points ahead of Petter Northug, who came second. This season he won four races and took six other podiums, winning the 2010–11 Tour de Ski with 27 seconds ahead of Northug.

During the 2011–12 FIS Cross-Country World Cup season, Cologna won eight races and took twelve additional podium positions; his 20 podiums are, as of the 2018–19 season, still a record for most podiums in a season. On 8 January 2012, Cologna took his third Tour de Ski overall win in Val di Fiemme, winning the 2011–12 Tour de Ski. He finished more than a minute ahead of everyone else, with Marcus Hellner being second and Petter Northug third. With this performance, Cologna won his third Tour de Ski overall win, being the only male athlete ever to have done so. He also snatched the yellow jersey becoming world no. 1 in the 2011–12 FIS Cross-Country World Cup as of 8 January 2012.

At the World Championships 2013 in Val di Fiemme Cologna won the 30 km pursuit.

He won the 30 km skiathlon at the Sochi Olympics.^[8] Later in the games he successfully defended his title from the Vancouver Olympics in the 15 km race, this time in classic technique.

2017–18 season: Fourth Tour de Ski and third consecutive Olympic 15 km

Cologna won his fourth Tour de Ski title by winning the 2017–18 edition. He won two of the six stages of the Tour, both in Lenzerheide, and won the overall standings with a margin of one minute and 26.5 seconds to second-placed Martin Johnsrud Sundby. Alongside female skier Justyna Kowalczyk, Cologna is the only athlete to win the Tour de Ski four times. At the PyeongChang Olympics, Cologna won the 15 kilometre freestyle. He became the first cross-country skier to win three consecutive 15 km Olympic events.^[9] On 10 March 2018, he became the first Swiss to win the prestigious Holmenkollen 50 km.

He was awarded the Holmenkollen Medal in 2021.^[10]

Cross-country skiing results

All results are sourced from the International Ski Federation (FIS).^[11]

Olympic Games

4 medals – (4 gold)

Year	Age	15 km individual	30 km skiathlon	50 km mass start	Sprint	4 × 10 km relay	Team sprint
2010	23	Gold	13	10	—	10	11
2014	27	Gold	Gold	25	26	—	5
2018	31	Gold	6	9	—	11	11
2022	35	44	—	14^[a]	—	7	—

^a Distance reduced to 30 km due to weather conditions.

World Championships

3 medals – (1 gold, 2 silver)

Year	Age	15 km individual	30 km skiathlon	50 km mass start	Sprint	4 × 10 km relay	Team sprint
2009	22	6	41	—	4	7	—
2011	24	25	24	20	9	9	—
2013	26	8	Gold	Silver	—	6	—
2015	28	18	Silver	6	—	5	—
2017	30	—	—	7	—	4	—
2019	32	6	14	7	—	8	—
2021	34	13	10	9	—	5	—

World Cup

Season titles

8 titles – (4 overall, 4 distance)

	Season
		Discipline
	2009	Overall
	2011	Overall
		Distance
	2012	Overall
		Distance
	2015	Overall
		Distance
	2018	Distance

Season standings

Season	Age	Discipline standings			Ski Tour standings
Season	Age	Overall	Distance	Sprint	Nordic Opening	Tour de Ski	Ski Tour 2020	World Cup Final	Ski Tour Canada
2007	21	145	94	—	—	—	—	—	—
2008	22	37	35	37	—	30	—	40	—
2009	23			9	—		—		—
2010	24	4	4	13	—		—	8	—
2011	25			12			—		—
2012	26			6			—		—
2013	27			9	4		—	5	—
2014	28	67	41	NC	—	—	—	—	—
2015	29			46	8	4	—	—	—
2016	30	23	20	42	13	DNF	—	—	—
2017	31	7	9	54	26		—	5	—
2018	32			38	17		—		—
2019	33	23	19	69	10	DNF	—	12	—
2020	34	10	9	89	DNF	7	10	—	—
2021	35	11	9	46	30	8	—	—	—
2022	36	58	32	NC	—	DNF	—	—	—

Individual podiums

26 victories – (15 WC, 11 SWC)
73 podiums – (40 WC, 33 SWC)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place
1	2008–09	6 December 2008	La Clusaz, France	30 km Mass Start F	World Cup	2nd
2		27 December 2008	Oberhof, Germany	3.75 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	2nd
3		28 December 2008	Oberhof, Germany	15 km Pursuit C	Stage World Cup	1st
4		27 December 2008 – 4 January 2009	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
5		20 March 2009	Falun, Sweden	3.3 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	2nd
6		21 March 2009	Falun, Sweden	10 km + 10 km Pursuit C/F	Stage World Cup	1st
7		18–22 March 2009	World Cup Final	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
8	2009–10	6 January 2010	Cortina-Toblach, Italy	35 km Pursuit F	Stage World Cup	2nd
9		1–10 January 2010	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	3rd
10		5 February 2010	Canmore, Canada	15 km Individual F	World Cup	3rd
11		6 February 2010	Canmore, Canada	1.7 km Sprint C	World Cup	3rd
12		19 March 2010	Falun, Sweden	3.3 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	1st
13	2010–11	20 November 2010	Gällivare, Sweden	15 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
14		27 November 2010	Rukatunturi, Finland	10 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	1st
15		26–28 November 2010	Nordic Opening	Overall Standings	World Cup	2nd
16		12 December 2010	Davos, Switzerland	1.4 km Sprint F	World Cup	3rd
17		1 January 2011	Oberhof, Germany	15 km Pursuit C	Stage World Cup	1st
18		2 January 2011	Oberstdorf, Germany	1.2 km Sprint C	Stage World Cup	3rd
19		3 January 2011	Oberstdorf, Germany	10 km + 10 km Pursuit C/F	Stage World Cup	2nd
20		5 January 2011	Toblach, Italy	1.3 km Sprint F	Stage World Cup	2nd
21		6 January 2011	Cortina-Toblach, Italy	35 km Pursuit F	Stage World Cup	1st
22		8 January 2011	Val di Fiemme, Italy	20 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	2nd
23		31 December 2010 – 9 January 2011	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
24		12 March 2011	Lahti, Finland	10 km + 10 km Pursuit C/F	World Cup	1st
25		16–20 March 2011	World Cup Final	Overall Standings	World Cup	3rd
26	2011–12	25–27 November 2011	Nordic Opening	Overall Standings	World Cup	2nd
27		17 December 2011	Rogla, Slovenia	15 km Mass Start C	World Cup	2nd
28		18 December 2011	Rogla, Slovenia	1.2 km Sprint F	World Cup	1st
29		29 December 2011	Oberhof, Germany	3.75 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	2nd
30		30 December 2011	Oberhof, Germany	15 km Pursuit C	Stage World Cup	3rd
31		1 January 2012	Oberstdorf, Germany	10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/F	Stage World Cup	2nd
32		2 January 2012	Toblach, Italy	5 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	3rd
33		4 January 2012	Toblach, Italy	1.3 km Sprint F	Stage World Cup	3rd
34		5 January 2011	Cortina-Toblach, Italy	35 km Pursuit F	Stage World Cup	1st
35		7 January 2012	Val di Fiemme, Italy	20 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	3rd
36		29 December 2011 – 8 January 2012	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
37		21 January 2012	Otepää, Estonia	1.4 km Sprint C	World Cup	1st
38		22 January 2012	Otepää, Estonia	15 km Individual C	World Cup	1st
39		11 January 2012	Nové Město, Czech Republic	30 km Mass Start C	World Cup	2nd
40		18 January 2012	Szklarska Poręba, Poland	15 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
41		3 March 2012	Lahti, Finland	15 km + 15 km Skiathlon C/F	World Cup	1st
42		10 March 2012	Oslo, Norway	50 km Mass Start C	World Cup	2nd
43		16 March 2012	Falun, Sweden	3.3 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	2nd
44		17 March 2012	Falun, Sweden	15 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	1st
45		14–18 March 2012	World Cup Final	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
46	2012–13	2 December 2012	Rukatunturi, Finland	15 km Pursuit C	Stage World Cup	2nd
47		3 January 2013	Cortina-Toblach, Italy	35 km Pursuit F	Stage World Cup	3rd
48		3 January 2013	Cortina-Toblach, Italy	5 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	3rd
49		29 December 2012 – 6 January 2013	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	2nd
50		19 January 2013	La Clusaz, France	15 km Mass Start C	World Cup	3rd
51		1 February 2013	Sochi, Russia	1.8 km Sprint F	World Cup	2nd
52		2 February 2013	Sochi, Russia	15 km + 15 km Skiathlon C/F	World Cup	1st
53		16 February 2013	Davos, Switzerland	1.5 km Sprint C	World Cup	2nd
54		17 February 2013	Davos, Switzerland	15 km Individual F	World Cup	2nd
55	2013–14	1 February 2014	Toblach, Italy	15 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
56	2014–15	13 December 2014	Davos, Switzerland	15 km Individual C	World Cup	2nd
57		3 January 2015	Oberstdorf, Germany	4 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	1st
58		10 January 2015	Val di Fiemme, Italy	15 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	3rd
59		23 January 2015	Rybinsk, Russia	15 km Individual F	World Cup	1st
60		1 February 2015	Rybinsk, Russia	15 km + 15 km Skiathlon C/F	World Cup	2nd
61		14 March 2015	Oslo, Norway	50 km Mass Start F	World Cup	2nd
62	2015–16	28 November 2015	Rukatunturi, Finland	10 km Individual F	Stage World Cup	3rd
63	2015–16	6 January 2016	Oberstdorf, Germany	15 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	2nd
64	2016–17	3 January 2017	Oberstdorf, Germany	10 km + 10 km Skiathlon C/F	Stage World Cup	3rd
65	2016–17	31 December 2016 – 8 January 2017	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	3rd
66	2017–18	31 December 2017	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	15 km Individual C	Stage World Cup	1st
67		1 January 2018	Lenzerheide, Switzerland	15 km Pursuit F	Stage World Cup	1st
68		30 December 2017 – 7 January 2018	Tour de Ski	Overall Standings	World Cup	1st
69		28 January 2018	Seefeld, Austria	15 km Mass Start F	World Cup	1st
70		10 March 2018	Oslo, Norway	50 km Mass Start F	World Cup	1st
71		16–18 March 2018	World Cup Final	Overall Standings	World Cup	3rd
72	2019–20	15 December 2019	Davos, Switzerland	15 km Individual F	World Cup	3rd
73	2020–21	2 January 2021	Val Müstair, Switzerland	15 km Mass Start C	Stage World Cup	2nd

Team podiums

1 victory – (1 RL)
2 podiums – (2 RL)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Race	Level	Place	Teammates
1	2010–11	19 December 2010	La Clusaz, France	4 × 10 km Relay C/F	World Cup	1st	Livers / Fischer / Perl
2	2019–20	1 March 2020	Lahti, Finland	4 × 7.5 km Relay C/F	World Cup	2nd	Klee / Rüesch / Furger

References

^ Tom Mc Adams (3 November 2021). "Four-time Olympic cross-country champion Cologna retires after season". Netherlands Live. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
^ Michael Pavitt (3 November 2021). "Four-time Olympic champion Cologna to retire after FIS Cross-Country World Cup season". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
^ "Cologna oro elvetico ma "made in Italy"". altoadige.it. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
^ "Dario COLOGNA". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
^ Meier, Stefan (13 March 2013). "Erste Punkte! Gianluca Cologna sprintet auf Platz 6" (in German). Blick. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
^ "Cologna, Kuitunen win Tour de Ski titles". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 January 2009.^{[dead link‍]}
^ "Dario Cologna takes gold in men's 15km cross country". BBC Sport. 2010-02-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
^ "Sochi Olympics: Dario Cologna wins 15k-classic/15k-free skiathlon". LA Times. 2014-02-09. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
^ "Dario Cologna Wins Gold Medal for Cross-Country Olympics 2018 15KM Individual". Bleacher Report. 2018-02-16. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
^ Bryhn, Rolf; Sundby, Jørn. "Holmenkollmedaljen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
^ "Athlete : COLOGNA Dario". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.

External links

Official website (in German and English)
Dario Cologna at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation
Dario Cologna at Olympics.com
Dario Cologna at Olympedia (archive)
Dario Cologna at the Swiss Olympic Association (in German)

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Roger Federer	Swiss Sportsman of the Year 2013	Succeeded by Roger Federer
Olympic Games
Preceded by Simon Ammann	Flagbearer for Switzerland Pyeongchang 2018	Succeeded by Incumbent

[1] Tom Mc Adams (3 November 2021). "Four-time Olympic cross-country champion Cologna retires after season". Netherlands Live. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

[2] Michael Pavitt (3 November 2021). "Four-time Olympic champion Cologna to retire after FIS Cross-Country World Cup season". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.

[3] "Cologna oro elvetico ma "made in Italy"". altoadige.it. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.

[4] "Dario COLOGNA". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.

[5] Meier, Stefan (13 March 2013). "Erste Punkte! Gianluca Cologna sprintet auf Platz 6" (in German). Blick. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.

[6] "Cologna, Kuitunen win Tour de Ski titles". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 January 2009.^{[dead link‍]}

[7] "Dario Cologna takes gold in men's 15km cross country". BBC Sport. 2010-02-15. Archived from the original on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2010-02-16.

[8] "Sochi Olympics: Dario Cologna wins 15k-classic/15k-free skiathlon". LA Times. 2014-02-09. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-16.

[9] "Dario Cologna Wins Gold Medal for Cross-Country Olympics 2018 15KM Individual". Bleacher Report. 2018-02-16. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 16 February 2018.

[10] Bryhn, Rolf; Sundby, Jørn. "Holmenkollmedaljen". In Bolstad, Erik (ed.). Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.

[FISprofile-11] "Athlete : COLOGNA Dario". FIS-Ski. International Ski Federation. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.

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