Just a few months after competing at his second Winter Olympic Games, Australian cross country skier Seve de Campo has already turned his attention to a new challenge.
The Victorian represented Australia at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, four years after making his Olympic debut in Beijing.
While the Olympic season brought career highlights and unforgettable moments, it also marked a change of a major chapter that had been years in the making.
Now, with the ski season behind him, de Campo is swapping skis for running shoes as he prepares for the Gold Coast Marathon before returning home for the Australian winter and the Kangaroo Hoppet.
I caught up with Seve to reflect on the Olympics, the season that was, and what lies ahead.

Milano Cortina was your second Winter Olympics. How did the experience compare to your first Olympic Games?
Myself and Phil Bellingham are staring at each other 1hr before the start of the men’s 50km at the Beijing Winter Olympics, it’s -18 degrees, we can hear the gale force winds whistling past the wax cabin, I’ve just put on my third buff, face tape and thick gloves ready to go and warm up, the first time ever the Olympic 50km had been shortened due to extreme winter weather. The crowd was a smaller than normal due to Covid-19, however all went through two weeks of hotel quarantined, to be able to come and watch our Olympic race. We had an awesome cheer squad of Aussie staff and teammates come out to cheer that day, we had an awesome team Australia House that whole Games, some of my best memories were even just hanging out in the Aussie lounge room cheering on our team to bring home the gold.
That 50km was the best race of my career at the time, I gave it everything I could but exploded with cramps the last 3km. I knew I needed four years to train harder and smarter in order to have a shot at top spots for next time.
It’s the men’s 50km Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, this time, +3 degrees and sunny in the beautiful Val di Fiemme, 15,000 fans are screaming, the commentator is yelling in three different languages, millions of people watching on TV from back home, my friends and family are there in the stadium. To the side of me is a Norwegian called Johannes Klaebo, he was going for the clean sweep, six gold medals. But I’d been preparing for this race for four years, the boy who grew up playing backyard cricket and lunchtime footy, how did I get the most out of myself in that moment? All 75 of us men were marshalled to the start line, I look down at my boots, all I can see are my own boots and skis and no one else, I breath out and for a moment imagine it’s just me training in Falls Creek, the place I’d spent thousands of hours preparing, a place where I felt free, confident and a place where I knew how to have fun. Another deep breath, I was ready, I looked up, soaked it all in and went out to do my best on the biggest stage in the world.
Milano Cortina was a different beast, in the Italian Dolomites, media was running rampant, the Olympic village was popping off, drama was breaking loose… I’m just glad I managed not to spill any gossip about my ex on international TV in the media zone.
(Editor’s note: There was a certain Norwegian biathlete who spilled a little too much on international TV about his personal life, which naturally went viral.)

Looking back on the season as a whole, what are you most proud of?
Cold dark November in Ruka, Finland for the opening World Cup of the season, the first of three Olympic trial weekends to make the team. I was on time (a rare occurrence for me), skis in the left hand, poles in my right, walking to the start gate with a quiet smile on my face, I knew I’d done everything I could that year to be the best skier I could be, I couldn’t have been more prepared.
But elite sport is complex, sometimes you try harder than you’ve ever tried and it still might not go your way, other times life’s relaxed and things just fall into place. I’m most proud of that moment walking to the start line in Ruka, but it took me to the last race of the Olympic qualification period in Davos, Switzerland to reach a PB and officially book my ticket to the Games.

Not long after the end of the ski season, you’ve turned your attention to marathon running. What inspired you to take on the Gold Coast Marathon?
I’ve always loved running. I’ve just spent the last two years working with some of the best brains in endurance sports based over in Lillehammer, Norway. Why not apply everything I’ve learnt to the marathon.

How different has your dedicated marathon preparation been compared to training for cross country skiing?
Two months ago when I signed up I was running three 5kers a week, and the shins were flimsy. This week I’m looking at hitting 100kms running for the week, but it hasn’t been as simple as XC skiing training. Injury prevention work in the gym has been a big focus and progressively building up the total KMs has as well. It’s been really fun.

Do you have a specific time goal for the Gold Coast Marathon, or is the focus more on the experience?
I’ve set sub 2:45 as the goal but deep down I want to beat the great Swiss XC skier Dario Cologna’s first marathon attempt of 2:28. Can we do it?
(Editor’s note: Dario is a four-time Olympic champion and on his second-ever marathon attempt ran an impressive 2:22.)

Once the marathon is done, you’ll be heading into the Australian winter. What are you most looking forward to about being back on snow in Australia?
I’m most looking forward to stopping and smelling the roses a little bit more. The past couple of seasons have felt ‘very serious’. Now that my biggest season is behind me, I am excited to actually slow down and chat with old mate Shayne when he asks me for how the racings been, or help out with an event or two.

The Kangaroo Hoppet is an iconic ski race. What does that event mean to you?
When we get asked ‘Is there even snow in Australia’ out at World Cups, the Kangaroo Hoppet is the pride of being an Australian skier and being able to say ‘yes, we do… have some snow’. It’s that sense of community.

Do you have any tips in preparation for someone who may be thinking of racing in the 42km Kangaroo Hoppet at Falls Creek?
Do something every day between now and the Kangaroo Hoppet, no matter how much or how small. Some of my worst days of training when I haven’t been able to get anything done, I’m tired, stressed or travelled out, I’ll do 50 pushups at home. And for those days when it’s hard to get out the door and train.