Arianna Fontana shouted out her joy. © APA/afp / WANG ZHAO

Arianna Fontana equals Italian Olympic record

Two speed skating events took place on Thursday – a Dutch athlete won both the women's 500-meter and the men's 1.000-meter races. However, it was a Dutch skater who stole the show.

February 12, 2026

From: mv

Speed ​​skater Arianna Fontana continues to make history: The 35-year-old athlete from Valtellina (Lombardy) secured the silver medal in the 500 meters on Thursday. She was only beaten by the Dutch skater Xandra Velzeboer. Sarault Courtney from Canada took third place.

For Fontana, second place is historic: The 35-year-old now has 13 Olympic medals, equaling the record of Italian fencing legend Edoardo Mangiarotti. The speed skater and the fencer jointly lead the ranking of the most successful Italian Olympians with the most podium finishes. At this year's Winter Games, Fontana still has three chances to overtake Mangiarotti: in the 1.000 meters, the 1.500 meters, and with the women's relay team.

A Dutchman also wins in the men's competition.

Only the Dutchwoman Velzeboer proved unbeatable on Thursday: Fontana couldn't get past Velzeboer in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. The 24-year-old also broke her own world record from 2022 in the semi-final.

Jens van 't Wout won gold in the men's 1.000-meter speed skating event. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

In the men's competition, the medals were awarded in the 1.000-meter race. A Dutchman also emerged victorious: Jens van 't Wout took gold ahead of Long Sun (silver/China) and Jongun Rim (bronze/South Korea).