Regina Martínez makes history as Mexico’s first female Olympic cross-country skier

Regina Martínez pushed crossed the decorativeness enactment successful past place, tears freezing connected her cheeks, a distant 108th successful the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle — and squarely successful the halfway of Mexican Olympic history.

The 33-year-old Mexico City native, present an emergency-room doc successful Miami, Florida, became the archetypal Mexican pistillate to vie successful cross-country skiing astatine a Winter Games.

In a contention connected Thursday marked by a demanding people and challenging snowfall conditions astatine Milano-Cortina, Martínez finished successful 34 minutes, 5.4 seconds — much than 11 minutes down the winner, Frida Karlsson of Sweden.

Yet Martínez drew 1 of the loudest ovations astatine Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium for her stamina and determination.

“Incredible, this is an unforgettable experience, a imagination travel true, and it fills maine with happiness and pridefulness to beryllium capable to stock this infinitesimal with you and with Mexico,” she told Claro Sports successful an exclusive post-race interview.

Martínez discovered cross-country skiing successful her precocious 20s portion a aesculapian pupil astatine the University of Minnesota, battling “cold, loneliness and seasonal depression” earlier the athletics gave her “a mode to beryllium outside, to move, to bask nature.”

She had an improbable way to the Olympics: from a younker shot subordinate successful the UNAM Pumas academy successful Mexico City to a household determination to Costa Rica arsenic a teen (where she played shot astatine a precocious level) to assemblage astatine Baylor University successful Waco, Texas, to a master’s grade successful nationalist wellness astatine Columbia University successful New York City.

After finishing Thursday’s race, Martínez was archetypal embraced by Brazil’s Bruna Moura, past greeted by Karlsson and Ebba Andersson of Sweden and American Jessie Diggins — the 3 medalists who waited to congratulate the last finisher.

On apical of each that was the cheering by the fans.

“Incredible, incredible. I honestly ne'er thought I’d spot truthful galore Mexicans astatine a Nordic skiing event,” Martínez said. “It was astonishing to beryllium capable to perceive them each moment, connected each climb, connected each descent.”

Mexico has ne'er won a Winter Olympics medal and has brought lone 5 athletes to Italy crossed 3 sports — alpine skiing, cross-country and fig skating.

“NADA ES IMPOSIBLE. QUE ESTO SIRVA DE EJEMPLO” 🇲🇽❄️👏

Regina Martínez habló EN EXCLUSIVA con Claro Sports tras hacer historia en Milano Cortina 2026, al convertirse en la primera mujer mexicana en competir en esquí de fondo en unos Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno.

¡ORGULLO!🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/QEyGs8CIau

— Claro Sports (@ClaroSports) February 12, 2026

However, 46-year-old alpine skier Sarah Schleper, competing successful her seventh Winter Games and 3rd for Mexico, finished 26th successful the women’s super-G successful 1:31.37, the champion effect ever by a Mexican pistillate successful Olympic alpine skiing and tied for the country’s apical decorativeness successful the sport.

Schleper had the slowest time, but respective skiers failed to adjacent decorativeness connected a slope that was battered by adverse upwind conditions. The four-time U.S. Olympian, yet ne'er medalist, races again successful the elephantine slalom connected Sunday.

Her 17-year-old son, Lasse Gaxiola, volition marque his Olympic debut successful the men’s elephantine slalom connected Saturday — which volition marque them the archetypal mother-son duo to vie for Mexico astatine the aforesaid Winter Games.

On the ice, Mexican fig skater Donovan Carrillo precocious to the men’s escaped skate aft placing 23rd successful the abbreviated program; the apical 24 qualified.

Mexican transverse state skier Allan Corona, 35, volition contention successful the men’s 10 km freestyle lawsuit Friday.

With reports from Olympics.com, Claro Sports, Infobae, NBC Miami and Reuters