The moment Pietro Sighel had to bury his medal dreams. © ANSA / TERESA SUAREZ

After being knocked out in the semi-finals: Pietro Sighel is extremely frustrated.

Italian speed skater Pietro Sighel suffered a disappointment in the 500-meter short track event on Wednesday. The Azzurro was furious after his elimination.

February 18, 2026

From: mv

The men's 500-meter short track semi-final was underway when, with two laps to go, Canadian Maxime Laoun lightly nudged Pietro Sighel, who was in second place at the time. The 26-year-old then lost control and crashed into the barrier at full speed. The Italian was able to continue the race, but no longer had a chance of qualifying for the final.

The jury, however, took no action – they attributed responsibility for the contact to both athletes. Sighel then fled in a fury to the changing rooms and subsequently withdrew from the bronze medal match, which would determine places six through ten.

Not the first decision against Sighel

Why Sighel reacted so emotionally becomes clearer when looking at the events of the past few days: The 26-year-old from Trentino was initially disqualified in the 1.000 meters after causing an opponent to fall through illegal positioning. In the 1.500-meter race, however, Sighel himself became a victim when he was eliminated after contact with the Ukrainian Oleh Handei.

Steven Dubois of Canada won the 500-meter race. © ANSA / TERESA SUAREZ

Nevertheless, Steven Dubois crowned himself Olympic champion in the 500 meters on Wednesday. The Canadian prevailed over the Dutch brothers Melle (silver) and Jens van 't Wout (bronze).

> Click here for the big Olympic box