Federico Pellegrino won the bronze medal in the team sprint. © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

Azzurri win bronze and break a 20-year-old taboo

The Italian cross-country skiers have consistently impressed in team events at the Olympic Games. With their bronze medal on Wednesday, the Azzurri broke a long-standing tradition.

February 18, 2026

From: never

The last time Italian cross-country skiers won at least two medals was at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Since Wednesday, that taboo is history: In the team sprint, Federico Pellegrino and Elia Barp rewarded themselves with the bronze medal (+3,31 seconds) for a respectable performance. The two were also among the key players on Sunday. when the azure blue men's relay team had also won bronzeSilver went to the USA with Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher (+1,37 seconds), who had to admit defeat to the invincible Norway with Einar Hedegart and the now ten-time Olympic champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.

The race initially unfolded as expected, with a tactically driven first section in which Norway controlled the pace without pushing too hard. A fierce battle then erupted in the final: Barp demonstrated great maturity and put up a strong fight, while Pellegrino brought home the celebrated medal.

Swedish women triumph over Switzerland

The Italians, however, were less successful: Caterina Ganz and Iris de Martin Pinter finished eighth (+40,88). The gold medal went to the Swedish team of Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist, while Nadja Kälin and Nadine Fähndrich (Switzerland/+1,40) and Laura Gimmler and Coletta Rydzek (Germany/+5,87) were delighted with silver and bronze, respectively. Both the men and women still have one more Olympic competition to go. On Saturday, Klæbo will compete in the 50-kilometer mass start, aiming for his sixth gold medal in six races, and the women will compete in the same event the following day.