Francesca Lollobrigida had an incredible day. © APA/afp / GABRIEL BOUYS

On her birthday: Lollobrigida gilds Italy's Olympic start

Gold, a record and a victory on her birthday: Francesca Lollobrigida gives Italy a perfect start to the Olympics.

February 07, 2026

From: do

After my Medals by Giovanni Franzoni and Dominik Paris The host country had another reason to celebrate: Italy won its first gold medal – and what a medal it was! Francesca Lollobrigida secured Olympic victory in the 3000-meter speed skating event, shattering the Olympic record in the process. The Roman skater clocked a best time of 3:54.28 minutes. Norway's Ragne Wiklund took silver (+2,26 seconds), and Canada's Valérie Maltais won bronze (+2,65).

For Lollobrigida, it is a triumph with special symbolism: On her 35th birthday, in front of a home crowd, she crowned a career that she had already embellished in Beijing in 2022 with silver over the same distance and bronze in the mass start. Now came the ultimate achievement: gold on home soil.

Francesca Lollobrigida runs to gold. © APA/afp / GABRIEL BOUYS

The decision came in the eighth of ten heats. Against Valérie Maltais, Lollobrigida set a blistering pace from the start and subsequently displayed perfect race pacing. In the end, she beat the previous Olympic record by almost two seconds. All the more remarkable, then, that the traditionally strong Netherlands left this event without a medal.

With her little son in her arms

The emotional highlight came after the race: Lollobrigida embraced her son Tommaso and celebrated the success with her family. Even before the final runs by Joy Beune (Netherlands/4th place) and Isabelle Weidemann (Canada/5th place), the 35-year-old had waved her little boy to her from the stands – she already knew then that he would win at least bronze. That he would ultimately take first place was the crowning achievement of an unforgettable day for the Lollobrigida family.

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