Arif Khan Records Historic Top-40 Finish at Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026

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Arif Khan delivered the finest men's slalom result in India's Winter Olympic history, finishing 39th at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

The 26-year-old alpine skier clocked a combined time of 2:41.60 across two runs at the Stelvio Ski Centre in Bormio, improving India's previous best in the event by ten places. That benchmark had stood since 1988, when Kishore Ratna Rai finished 49th at the Calgary Winter Olympics.

For Arif, it marked a strong comeback on the Olympic stage. At Beijing 2022, he had failed to complete the slalom but recorded a 45th-place finish in giant slalom - then India's best result in that discipline.

Competing in difficult conditions, Arif navigated a snowstorm-hit first run to place 44th in 1:22.12. Only 44 of the 96 starters completed that opening run, with 50 registering DNFs. The second run, contested in clearer weather, saw him post 1:19.48 to climb five positions overall and secure a historic top-40 finish.

The event was won by Switzerland's Loïc Meillard in 1:53.61, with Austria's Fabio Gstrein and Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen completing the podium.

In alpine slalom, skiers race down a tightly set course of gates across two runs, with final rankings determined by aggregate time. Precision and rhythm are critical - a single missed gate results in immediate elimination.

Arif's milestone performance was witnessed by IOA President P.T. Usha and Chef de Mission Amitabh Sharma, who were present to support India's sole alpine representative.

Earlier in the Games, Stanzin Lundup placed 104th in the men's 10km freestyle cross-country skiing event, rounding off India's campaign in the snow.