Three medals, three Top 5 finishes, seventeen Top 10 finishes and some exceptional sporting moments! This winter, 45 students and recent graduates from Université Grenoble Alpes took part in the Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina. Here's a look back at the main results achieved by UGA's champions in Italy ahead of the Paralympic Games.
Eleven sports disciplines, five countries represented, a quarter of the French Olympic team and a flag bearer: from 6 to 22 February 2026, 36 students and 9 young graduates from Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) were on the slopes of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games.
This sporting adventure at the highest level will continue from 6 to 15 March 2026 with the Paralympic Games and four new champions: Arthur Bauchet, Jordan Broisin (flag bearer), Florian Michelon and Aurélie Richard.
Just under two years after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where UGA students and recent graduates won four medals and six Top 10 finishes, four years after the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games with nine medals and sixteen Top 10 finishes, the UGA athletes' ‘delegation’ in Italy has once again distinguished itself.
Two Olympic titles and one silver medal
On 15 February 2026, on the slopes of the Lago di Tesero stadium, Victor Lovera, a second-year engineering student at Grenoble INP - Ensimag, UGA, and Théo Schely, a third-year student studying for a hybrid STAPS - SHIFT degree, took second place on the podium.
From left to right: Victor Lovera, Mathis Desloges, Hugo Lapalus and Théo Schely © Agence Zoom - Michel Cottin
Together with their teammates Hugo Lapalus and Mathis Desloges, the two UGA cross-country skiers won a superb silver medal in the men's 4 x 7.5 km cross-country skiing relay event (find out more) In the 50 km classic event, Théo Schely finished just off the podium (4th place and first Frenchman), and Victor Lovera came in 8th. The future engineer also ranked 10th in the 10 km freestyle.
Two days after this silver medal in cross-country skiing, Fabien Claude, who graduated in 2018 with a degree in sports science, specialising in sports training, took to the slopes at Antholz-Anterselva as the first relay runner for the French men's biathlon team.
From left to right: Fabien Claude, Quentin Fillon Maillet, Eric Perrot and Emilien Jacquelin © Agence Zoom - Kevin Voigt
Olympic silver medallist in the 4 x 7.5 km relay in 2022, this time he won gold with Eric Perrot, Émilien Jacquelin and Quentin Fillon Maillet (find out more).
Biathlon is a flagship sport in France, and it is also a flagship sport for Université Grenoble Alpes. On 18 February 2026, once again on the slopes of Antholz-Anterselva, Camille Bened, a first-year student in Life Sciences, eBio programme, was part of the ‘Quatre fantastiques’ at these Olympics Winter Games.
From left to right: Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon and Julia Simon © Agence Zoom - Grega Valancic/Voigtc
After a memorable race, Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon and Julia Simon were crowned Olympic champions in the women's 4 x 7.5 km relay (find out more). This was a feat that had not been achieved for 34 years, since the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville.
Also sixth in the 15 km individual event, Camille Bened follows in the footsteps of Marie Dorin-Habert, Anaïs Chevalier-Bouchet, Anaïs Bescond and Chloé Chevalier, who are all graduates of Université Grenoble Alpes!
Top performances for UGA athletes
In addition to these three Olympic medals, UGA students and recent graduates also distinguished themselves at these Winter Games, achieving no fewer than three Top 5 and seventeen Top 10 finishes.
A 2020 graduate in Sports Science, Nils Allègre achieved magnificent performances in alpine skiing, coming 4th in the Super-G and 8th in the downhill. The top French competitor in both events, he finished 5th in the men's team alpine combined with Clément Noël.
In ski mountaineering, Pablo Giner Dalmasso, a Master's student in Ecological Transitions at Science Po Grenoble – UGA, climbed to 7th place in the sprint event. In ski jumping, Emma Chervet and Enzo Milesi, both students in the hybrid STAPS – SHIFT bachelor's degree programme, flew to 9th place in the mixed team jumping event.
In freestyle skiing and snowboarding, UGA champions achieved impressive results. Jade Grillet-Aubert, a third-year student studying Biotechnology for Health, took sixth place in the ski cross event. Thibault Mouille, a third-year student studying Hybrid STAPS – SHIFT, finished ninth in mogul skiing. The flag bearer for the French team, Chloé Trespeuch, was unable to realise her medal hopes in Italy. A first-year master's student in Ecological Transitions at Sciences Po Grenoble – UGA, she finished 9th in the snowboard cross event and 10th in the mixed team event.
In speed skating, Mathieu Belloir, a first-year Master's student in Sports Science, specialising in Training and Sports Performance Optimisation, came seventh in the men's mass start final.
Still on the ice but in bobsleigh, Romain Heinrich, who holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (Grenoble IAE - INP, UGA) and is an industrial engineer (Grenoble INP – UGA), finished 10th in the two-man bobsleigh event with Dorian Hauterville.
In cross-country skiing, Delphine Claudel, Cloé Pagnier, Léonie Perry and Julie Pierrel, all four students or graduates in Sports Science, took 9th place in the women's 4 x 7.5 km relay. Tenth in the individual 10 km freestyle, Léonie Perry also took an impressive 7th place in the freestyle sprint with Mélissa Gal, a first-year master's student in Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
See all results for UGA athletes at the 2026 Winter Olympics
"The UGA team competing at this year's Milan-Cortina Olympics is much younger than at previous Winter Olympics. The medals and numerous top 10 finishes achieved in Italy bode well for the 2030 Winter Olympic Games in the Alps," says Philippe Giroud, Director of the Service des publics à besoins spécifiques (SPBS) and Elite sport Project Manager at UGA, as well as Managing Director of CASE Grenoble Alpes. ‘Congratulations to all our students and recent graduates for their Olympic selection, their performances and the achievement of their dual sporting and academic goals at the highest level!’!"
Inter’Val: a programme for elite winter sports athletes
To balance their studies and sport at the highest international level, all UGA students attending the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics benefit from the
Inter'Val programme. Set up in 2004 to respond to the significant constraints faced by winter sports specialists, this specific support programme is reserved for athletes competing in major international competitions.
Offered in all fields of study, Inter'Val is based on a partnership unique in France between Université Grenoble Alpes, the National Sports Agency (ANS) and five federations: the French Ski Federation (FFS), the French Mountain and Climbing Federation (FFME), the French Ice Sports Federation (FFSG), the French Ice Hockey Federation (FFHG) and the French Handisport Federation (FFH).
This year, out of the 770 high-level student athletes supported in their dual projects by UGA, 115 are benefiting from the Inter'Val support programme. The success of this benchmark support programme is also reflected in the nine UGA graduates who are pursuing their sporting careers at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics while having secured their professional future.
