Gold for Italy – and a legend in the middle of it all.

This is Italy's second gold medal at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina: An icon of winter sports was right in the middle of it.

February 10, 2026

From: dl

Italy won gold in the mixed relay and Arianna Fontana continues to make history: The 35-year-old short track speed skater from Valtellina in Lombardy won the twelfth Olympic medal of her career together with Pietro Sighel, Thomas Nadalini and Elisa Confortola (as well as Luca Spechanhauser and Chiara Betti, who were on the ice in the first and second runs respectively).

The Azzurri, already silver medalists at Beijing 2022, were – after the Netherlands and South Korea, both considered favorites, were dramatically eliminated in the semifinals – the team against which everyone else had to measure themselves in the final. The women opened the competition, with each athlete running two segments: the first of two and a half laps, the second of two laps (a total of 18 laps, 2000 meters).

Arianna Fontana (back) won her twelfth Olympic medal in short track. © APA/afp / JULIEN DE ROSA

Right at the halfway point of the race, Fontana managed to take the lead with a decisive overtaking maneuver against her Chinese rival. From then on, it was an Italian demonstration of power all the way to the finish: Sighel brought the relay team home, somewhat curiously with her back to the finish line.

Fontana is working on her monument

With her twelfth Olympic medal, Fontana is now just one medal behind the Italian record held by fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti. The short track speed skater from the province of Sondrio is the most successful Italian winter sports athlete of all time.

Keywords Olympics 2026 Short Track Italian Milan Ariadne Fontana