Speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida has given host nation Italy its first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, winning the women’s 3,000 metres in Olympic-record time on Saturday.
Racing in Milan on her 35th birthday, Lollobrigida finished in 3 minutes 54.28 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of Norway’s Ragne Wiklund in second place. Canada’s Valerie Maltais took the bronze.
The home crowd rose to its feet as Lollobrigida completed her final laps, roaring her on as she pulled clear of the field. When her time appeared on the scoreboard as a new Olympic record, she celebrated on the ice with the Italian flag.
Lollobrigida, from the hill town of Frascati just outside Rome, is competing at her fourth Olympics. She won two medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games – silver in the 3,000 metres and bronze in the mass start – but had never taken gold until now. She is also the great-niece of the late Gina Lollobrigida, one of Italy’s best-known film stars of the 1950s and 1960s.
The result marks an early highlight for Italy at its home Games and confirms Lollobrigida as one of the leading names in long-distance speed skating, finally adding an Olympic title to a career already rich in major medals.
The Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics are being held across Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and other venues in northern Italy. The Games bring together athletes from around the world to compete in ice and snow sports including skiing, skating, ice hockey, curling and sliding events, and mark Italy’s return as Winter Games host after Cortina 1956 and Turin 2006.
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