Italy nabs first gold medal of Milano Cortina Olympics in speedskating upset

Italy won its first gold medal of the Milano Cortina Games on Saturday, and it came from a roaring speedskating upset that saw the dominant Netherlands pushed out of the women’s 3000 meters podium for the first time since 2010.

Francesca Lollobrigida set a new Olympic record — on her 35th birthday — of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, shaving more than two-and-a-half seconds off the mark set by Dutch legend Irene Schouten four years earlier in Beijing. It was also two seconds ahead of runner-up Ragne Wiklund of Norway. Canada’s Valerie Maltais finished third.

Dutch skater Joy Beune, the reigning world champion in the 3000m, finished off the podium in 4th. It was the first time since the 2010 Vancouver Games that the Netherlands had not won a medal in this distance.

Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome, and well-known for its white wine, and her great aunt was the late Gina Lollobrigida, a star actress of the 1950s and ’60s.

This was the fourth Olympics for Francesca Lollobrigida and her first gold. She collected two medals at Beijing four years ago: a silver in the 3,000 and a bronze in the mass start.

A last-minute addition to Saturday’s race was that of American skater Greta Myers, who was added to the lineup after Czech skater Martina Sablikova’s withdrawal. The 21-year-old American did not initially qualify for the event but secured the first reserve quota spot after her performances on the 2025-26 World Cup circuit. She finished in 20th place.