This Latina Made History as First Woman to Represent Mexico in This Winter Olympics Sport
Regina Martinez Lorenzo, of Mexico, center, the last athlete to cross the finish line, is embraced by Bruna Moura, of Brazil, center left, and Jessie Diggins, of the United States, while silver medalist Ebba Andersson, of Sweden, left, and gold medalist Frida Karlsson, of Sweden, right, look on, at the end of the cross country skiing women's 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Cross-country skiing isn’t really a sport you think about when you think of Mexico. But Regina Martínez has always been good at defying the odds. The 33-year-old Mexico City native has just become the first Mexican woman to compete in cross-country skiing at a Winter Games. And when she crossed the finish line, there was joy and recognition from other skiers.
She didn’t win. In fact, she was 108th in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle and finished with a time of 34 minutes, 5.4 seconds, more than 11 minutes behind the winner, Frida Karlsson of Sweden. But she got some of the loudest ovations at Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium.
“Incredible, this is an unforgettable experience, a dream come true, and it fills me with happiness and pride to be able to share this moment with you and with Mexico,” she told Claro Sports in a post-race interview.
It’s been a wild journey for someone who only discovered cross-country skiing in her late 20s, when she was a medical student at the University of Minnesota. At the finish line, Martínez was first embraced by Brazil’s Bruna Moura, then by the three medalists, Karlsson, Ebba Andersson of Sweden, and Jessie Diggins from the US. And fans showed up, too.
“Incredible, incredible. I honestly never thought I’d see so many Mexicans at a Nordic skiing event,” Martínez said. “It was amazing to be able to hear them every moment, on every climb, on every descent.”
Mexico has never won a Winter Olympics medal and is being represented at Milano-Cortina 2026 by 5 athletes across three sports: alpine skiing, cross-country, and figure skating.