{"id":69996,"date":"2026-05-21T23:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/69996\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:15:12","slug":"alessio-miggiano-breaks-through-as-swiss-speed-threat-ahead-of-home-worlds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/69996\/","title":{"rendered":"Alessio Miggiano Breaks Through as Swiss Speed Threat Ahead of Home Worlds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alessio Miggiano, GEPA pictures<\/p>\n

One of Switzerland\u2019s new speed talents, Alessio Miggiano, made the most of his first full World Cup season by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup Finals and earning a promotion to the Swiss Ski A-Team after three seasons on the Swiss B-Team.<\/p>\n

The 2002-born downhill skier broke through during the 2025\/26 season, establishing himself inside one of the deepest speed teams in the world and positioning himself in the battle for a spot at the 2027 World Championships on home snow in Crans-Montana.<\/p>\n

At the speed finals in Kvitfjell in March, Miggiano spoke with Ski Racing Media about the season, his strengths and what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

Miggiano\u2019s 2026 season highlights<\/p>\n

Miggiano earned a fixed spot for the 2026 World Cup downhill competitions after finishing second in the 2025 European Cup downhill standings. Additionally, he finished fifth in the 2025 European Cup overall standings.<\/p>\n

The guaranteed World Cup downhill starting spot gave Miggiano a rare opportunity to prove himself alongside the world\u2019s best during the 2025\/26 season.<\/p>\n

Miggiano took advantage of that opportunity with top-30 finishes in five of the regular season\u2019s eight World Cup downhills.<\/p>\n

In Val Gardena-Gr\u00f6den in December, he delivered one of the season\u2019s breakout performances by skiing into fifth place from bib 43, showing he could challenge established World Cup names on one of the sport\u2019s classic speed tracks.<\/p>\n

His result moved him into the top 30 on the World Cup Start List for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, he backed up the result with an eighth-place finish on home snow in Crans-Montana, the venue for the 2027 World Championships.<\/p>\n

Still, Switzerland\u2019s extraordinary depth in the men\u2019s speed disciplines left Miggiano outside the Olympic lineup despite his strong season \u2014 a reminder of how difficult it is to secure championship starts within the Swiss system.<\/p>\n

Miggiano also started in four World Cup super-G races last season, with a 21st-place finish in Val Gardena-Gr\u00f6den as his best result.<\/p>\n

Overall, Miggiano\u2019s season was a success. He qualified for the World Cup Finals and finished 20th in the downhill season standings.<\/p>\n

Heading into the 2026\/27 season, he ranks 21st in downhill and 48th in super-G on the World Cup Start List while continuing his climb inside Switzerland\u2019s highly competitive speed program.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miggiano\u2019s experiences with the Swiss national team<\/p>\n

SRM: Can you summarize the season for our readers and how you made the jump to this new level after racing Europa Cup last year?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: Most of the time I try to ski well. Of course, I\u2019m really happy with how this first full World Cup season went. I knew that with my fixed place in a strong Swiss team I had to take this opportunity. I just try to take every race as a new challenge and take each day one by one. When the results are coming, it\u2019s easier to ski well because you have confidence. So, I\u2019m happy that I could take it all the way to the Finals.<\/p>\n

For a young racer entering one of the strongest speed teams in the world, confidence and trust within the group can make a major difference. Miggiano said the environment inside the Swiss team helped ease the transition to the World Cup level.<\/p>\n

SRM: Did you feel you learned a lot from being on the team with the top Swiss speed skiers?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: Of course. I think we have a great team, not just in terms of skiing. Also, the guys \u2014 it\u2019s a good spirit in the team, and this helps as a young lad coming in. Everyone is there for you when you need help or tries to help. That makes it a lot easier for the young guys.<\/p>\n

Miggiano\u2019s winning mindset<\/p>\n

SRM: On your website, there is a quote which translates into English: \u201cWinning is not seasonal; it\u2019s a life philosophy.\u201d \u00a0Can you explain what that quote means to you?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: That\u2019s a quote I live by because in my experience I like to have this kind of competition everywhere in life, not just on the race slope. Whether it is in the summer when playing tennis with a good friend or something, it always means so much to me when I\u2019m winning, so it\u2019s something I bring into all parts of my life.<\/p>\n

That competitive mentality has helped Miggiano adapt quickly to World Cup racing, where confidence and the ability to handle new situations are critical<\/p>\n

Adapting to the World Cup level<\/p>\n

SRM: What are your strengths, as a person and as a ski racer?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: I think I can handle new situations well. I have a good feeling for the ski, and I think I have a healthy mindset about how my situation is or how my skiing is. I\u2019m not afraid of critique. I just take everything I can get to grow and to learn, and I think this is one of my biggest strengths.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>KVITFJELL, NORWAY,21.MAR.26 \u2013 Alessio Miggiano (SUI). Photo: GEPA pictures\/ Wolfgang Grebien<\/p>\n

Miggiano\u2019s preseason plans<\/p>\n

Despite the breakthrough season, Miggiano believes there is still significant room for improvement before next winter.<\/p>\n

SRM: What will you focus on improving to take another step next season?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: I think we can always get better in several aspects of this game. Physically, I can improve, but I also still have room to grow technically on skis. That\u2019s definitely something I will work on during the summer heading into next season.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the summer<\/p>\n

SRM: What are you looking forward to the most this summer?<\/p>\n

MIGGIANO: I will enjoy a little bit of time off, but I will also be fired up to get back to work. And be back and spend some time with friends at the sea or doing some other things other than skiing. I\u2019m really looking forward to that.<\/p>\n

The Swiss speed challenge<\/p>\n

Miggiano\u2019s rise comes during a remarkable period for Swiss men\u2019s speed skiing, where competition for World Cup and championship starts is among the toughest in the sport.<\/p>\n

The Swiss have great depth of talent, with dominant men\u2019s speed competitors Marco Odermatt, Franjo von Allmen, Alexis Monney and Stefan Rogentin filling four of the nine men\u2019s national team spots awarded across all disciplines.<\/p>\n

On April 24, Swiss Ski announced a 104-member squad for the 2026\/27 season.<\/p>\n

In addition to team selection, Swiss Ski divides its athletes into training groups by discipline and level. The training group selection does not entirely correspond to the athletes\u2019 national, A-, B-, and C-team status.<\/p>\n

Inside the Swiss speed structure<\/p>\n

The top training group for men\u2019s speed \u2014 Mastery World Cup Speed \u2014 consists of seven athletes:<\/p>\n

Marco Kohler (1997, A-team), Alessio Miggiano (2002, A-team), Alexis Monney (2000, national team), Justin Murisier (1992, A-team), Lars R\u00f6sti (1998, A-team), Stefan Rogentin (1994, national team) and Franjo von Allmen (2001, national team).<\/p>\n

As in past years, Marco Odermatt \u2014 winner of seven speed discipline globes over the last four seasons and four giant slalom globes from 2022-25 \u2014 remains in the Mastery World Cup GS group.<\/p>\n

Managing that level of depth has become one of the biggest challenges for Swiss Ski\u2019s coaching staff as the nation prepares for a home World Championships season.<\/p>\n

Balancing depth and development<\/p>\n

Coach Reto Nydegger, who heads the men\u2019s Mastery World Cup Speed group, spoke with Ski Racing Media at the World Cup Finals about the challenge of maintaining Switzerland\u2019s dominance.<\/p>\n

Nydegger said that while the Swiss speed team is currently very strong, the group must continue pushing forward to prevent other nations from closing the gap.<\/p>\n

He also emphasized that balancing the needs of established World Cup stars with younger developing racers requires careful planning across every level of the program.<\/p>\n

He described how it is essential that the top racers get what they need at their level, in training and follow-up. At the same time, athletes in the European Cup and junior training groups need training facilities and follow-up that are right for them, to make sure each level receives the training and attention that secures continued success.<\/p>\n

For the 2026\/27 season, 19 men are listed across the Swiss Ski speed groups: Mastery World Cup (seven), Elite World Cup (five) and Elite European Cup (seven). In addition, athletes from other training groups, like Odermatt, will compete in World Cup speed events.<\/p>\n

With the 2027 World Championships taking place on home snow in Crans-Montana, Miggiano now faces another challenge: earning one of the highly contested Swiss starting spots in front of a home crowd next February.<\/p>\n

Related content: Inside Swiss Speed: Coach Reto Nydegger\u2019s Winning Formula<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alessio Miggiano, GEPA pictures One of Switzerland\u2019s new speed talents, Alessio Miggiano, made the most of his first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69997,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[37422,14267,41,37423,17],"class_list":["post-69996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-alessio-miggiano","tag-newtemp","tag-swiss","tag-swissski","tag-switzerland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116615113920188830","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}