Hämmerle sets sights on home World Championships in pursuit of elusive gold

Two Olympic gold medals, three overall World Cup Crystal Globes and more than a decade competing among the world's best. Alessandro Hämmerle has already achieved just about everything in Snowboard Cross.

But there is still one title missing from his collection, and the opportunity to chase it on home snow has given the Austrian another reason to keep racing.

After successfully defending his Olympic title at Milano Cortina 2026, Hämmerle admitted that retirement had crossed his mind. Instead, the 33-year-old has decided to continue, with the 2027 FIS Snowboard World Championships in Montafon, Austria, firmly in his sights.

For Hämmerle, who comes from the Montafon region, the chance to compete for a World Championship gold medal in front of a home crowd offers a particularly fitting next chapter to an already remarkable career.

Hämmerle's second Olympic triumph came in familiar fashion.

Four years after narrowly beating Canada's Eliot Grondin to gold at Beijing 2022, the two found themselves battling for the Olympic title once again in Livigno.

And once again, there was almost nothing between them.

Hämmerle timed his move perfectly over the closing section of the course, crossing the finish line just 0.03 seconds ahead of Grondin to retain his Olympic crown. Austria's Jakob Dusek completed the podium in third.

The victory placed Hämmerle alongside Seth Wescott and Pierre Vaultier as the only men to have won two individual Olympic Snowboard Cross titles.

It was another reminder of his ability to deliver on the biggest stage, even as the competition around him continues to evolve.

With three overall World Cup titles and two World Championship medals already to his name, Hämmerle has little left to prove.

Yet an individual World Championship gold remains elusive.

He came close again at Engadin 2025, where he claimed bronze, adding another major championship medal to his record.

Now, the next opportunity will come in familiar surroundings.

Montafon has long been an important venue for Snowboard Cross, and hosting the 2027 World Championships will give Hämmerle the rare chance to compete for the title he has yet to win in the region where he grew up.

The Austrian has already returned to on-snow training as preparations for the new season get underway.

Whether Montafon ultimately marks the closing chapter of his career remains to be seen. For now, Hämmerle has made his immediate ambition clear: one more shot at World Championship gold, this time at home.