From the Liveblog of
Friday, February 13, 2026
Israeli Attila Kertesz takes 2nd to last spot in Olympic cross-country ski race
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAmy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel
Israel’s Attila Mihaly Kertesz crosses the finish line second to last in the men’s 10km cross-country freestyle ski race at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
With two skiers not finishing the race, Kertesz officially takes 110th place out of the 113 athletes who started the course, with a time of 31:24.4. He finished just ahead of a skier from Ecuador and behind an athlete from Saudi Arabia.
Kertesz, a native of Hungary who lives in Thailand, became an Israeli citizen in 2024 after several years of trying, and made history as Israel’s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier, to “give back to my nation.”
In an interview with The Times of Israel in December, Kertesz noted the likelihood that he would finish in the end of the pack: “Everybody is preparing very hard, because nobody wants to be the last in the Olympic Games — but somebody has to,” he said at the time.
Gold in the race went to Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, silver to France’s Mathis Desloges, and the bronze medal went to Norway’s Einar Hedegart.
Later tonight, Israel’s Jared Firestone will compete in the 3rd heat of the skeleton race, hoping to be among the top 20 who race in the 4th and decisive heat.
Tomorrow, Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos will take part in his 3rd event at this year’s games, the giant slalom.
The Times of Israel Community.