When Cormac Comerford was eight years old, growing up in the south Dublin suburb of Glenageary, his aunt first took him up the dry ski slopes in nearby Kilternan. Even in the coldest depths of winter he would rarely, if ever, see any snow.
It was a million miles away from the vast sweeping slopes of alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics, but 21 years later, after his fourth qualification attempt, Comerford is among the four Irish athletes selected for Milano Cortina 2026.
The venues for the 25th Winter Olympics – spread across six clusters in north Italy – may feel relatively close to home. Comerford’s journey, however, has been far from straightforward after his Olympic dream has been repeatedly tested over the years.
“A big mix of pride and honour,” he says of his selection. “It’s been a childhood dream of mine, since I first put on a pair of skis, up at the Ski Club of Ireland. I fell in love with the sport, and when I got to watch Shane O’Connor at the Olympics in 2010, that’s when the seed was really sown.
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“It amazing to say I’m going to my first Winter Olympics, I’ve qualified four times now, so it’s due. It’s definitely been a challenging journey, there are so many obstacles coming from Ireland, even just putting your feet on snow. So many up and downs, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
At 29, Comerford is now vastly experienced in alpine skiing, and will compete in all four events in Milano Cortina; the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, and slalom. He’s also competed in five World Championships and finished inside top-30 in the European Cup.
Anabelle Zurbay has been selected in alpine skiing, the 17-year-old, who was born in Minnesota and is now Colorado-based, becoming the youngest female member of an Irish Winter Olympic team.
Thomas Maloney Westgård will return for his third Winter Olympics in cross-country skiing, with Ben Lynch, who was born in Dublin before his family moved to Vancouver when he was three, selected in the freestyle skiing halfpipe event.
Comerford previously reached the minimal qualifying criteria in alpine skiing for Sochi 2014, PyeongChang 2018, and Beijing 2022, but each time missed out on the strict quota for Irish representatives.
“Yeah, too many times to count,” he says about his doubts over the years. “There were a few turning points, like when I started in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), my whole career was hanging on me getting a scholarship there. Thankfully they believed in me, I got some extra support, and it was enough to help me keep the dream alive.
“With the Winter Olympics, attention always drops off in between, it’s always a challenge to fulfil a four-year cycle. But it’s always been the big one for me. Watching 2010, I remember thinking ‘imagine being an Olympian like that’, and I never let go of that dream. A lot of it is about timing, and I’m very proud to say I’ve qualified now.
“Being an Irish ski racer can also be incredibly lonely, there aren’t many of us, it’s a really hard path to forge.”
The highest peak near his home is Killiney Hill, and none of his family are fellow skiers. So he’s still not entirely certain whether he found skiing, or skiing found him. Either way it’s been a perfect fit. Growing up, he also played GAA underage with Cuala, alongside Con O’Callaghan, and also dabbled in rugby, hockey, sailing, and surfing, but ultimately skiing came out on top.
He’s never been a full-time skier, could never afford to, and has competed around his studies or work. He’s always found a way.
His specialist event is the slalom, the ultimate mix of technical and physical demands, dodging between 50-60 gates, 8-11 metres apart, while flat-out downhill at 60kph for between 40 seconds to a minute.
His first event will be in the downhill on Saturday week, the day after the opening ceremony in Milan’s San Siro Stadium.
It has been 34 years since Team Ireland first competed at the Winter Olympics, at Albertville 1992, the four athletes selected for Milano Cortina bringing to 37 the number of Irish Winter Olympians. For Comerford, the lifelong dream is finally being realised.
Team Ireland athlete bios
Anabelle Zurbay will compete in alpine skiing, specifically focusing on the technical events – slalom and giant slalom, the latter being her favoured event. The Colorado-based athlete is not only the youngest member of the team; she is also the youngest Irish athlete to ever compete in alpine skiing at the Olympics, and she turned 17 last December. Zurbay’s family, via her maternal grandmother, comes from Rosemount, outside Moate. Anabelle, also known as Annie, will be competing in the Cortina cluster.
Ben Lynch will compete in the freestyle skiing halfpipe event. The Dublin-born skier moved to Vancouver with his family when he was three, where he discovered skiing. Despite his family mostly becoming successful rowers, Ben enjoyed the freedom of skiing, and specifically the expressive element of freestyle disciplines. He is a first-time Olympian and will be based in Livigno for the duration of the Games.
Cormac Comerford will compete in alpine skiing, with the slalom being his favourite discipline. The Dublin skier first learnt his love for skiing at the Kilternan dry slopes, and is also competing in his first Olympic Games. Working as a mechanical engineer in the off-season, Cormac spends most of the winter travelling Europe, training and competing. He will be competing in the Bormio cluster.
Thomas Maloney Westgård is the veteran of the team, and is set to compete in his third Olympic Games, when he will become only the second man to ever compete in three winter games. He competes in the cross-country events, with the 50km race his favourite discipline. Thomas was born in a small island called Leka in Norway to a Galway mother and Norwegian father, and following a hugely successful few seasons, he competes for professional team Team Aker Dæhlie. Thomas will be competing in Predazzo, in the Val di Fiemme cluster.
