No dream Winter Olympics debut for Singapore alpine skier Faiz Basha after fall in giant slalom
The Singaporean registered a DNF (did not finish) after skidding out during the first run of the giant slalom event.
Singaporean skier Faiz Basha clears a gate during a training session ahead of the alpine skiing race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, February 10, 2026. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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SINGAPORE: Singapore alpine skier Faiz Basha registered a DNF (did not finish) on his Winter Olympics debut on Saturday (Feb 14).
In the first run of the men’s giant slalom at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, Italy, the 23-year-old lost a ski while trying to round a gate, causing him to skid out. He did not compete in the event's second run as a result of not finishing the first.
Brazil’s Norway-born Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the event, with Switzerland's Marco Odermatt and Loic Meillard taking silver and bronze respectively.
"Honestly I'm pretty contented with the race today. For me I would rather DNF skiing in search of speed, than to finish skiing conservatively, especially at an event like this," said Faiz.
"Today was a challenging race even for the world’s best, the spread in timings was unprecedented, so I am happy to have skied my way and not backed down."
A total of 81 athletes competed in the giant slalom, with seven other athletes besides Faiz registering DNFs in the first run.
In alpine skiing, athletes move downhill between gates, with the giant slalom having a wider distance between these gates as compared to the slalom event. Skiiers compete in two time trials, with the individual with the fastest total time crowned the winner.
In the first run, Pinheiro Braathen, the first competitor to take to the slope, registered a commanding lead as his other competitors struggled to get to grips with the race course.
In the second run later in the afternoon, the Brazilian would not hit the same heights, but his 0.95-second lead was enough to hold off all challengers and seal Brazil's first Winter Olympics gold.
No athlete representing a South American country has ever won a Winter Olympics medal in any sport.
Faiz is Singapore’s second athlete ever at the Winter Olympics, after short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh, who participated in the 2018 edition.
In January last year, the Singaporean met the qualifying mark for the slalom event, and did so for the giant slalom event in recent months.
He was the top-ranked Southeast Asian athlete (12th) at the 2025 Asian Winter Games and the first Singaporean to reach the finals at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
Faiz will next compete in the slalom event on Feb 16.
