Francesca Lollobrigida Sets Olympic Record, Wins Italy's First Gold
Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida set an Olympic record (3:54.28) to win the women's 3,000m and secure Italy's first gold at Milan Cortina 2026.
Overview
Francesca Lollobrigida set an Olympic record of 3:54.28 to win the women's 3,000 meters at the Milan Cortina 2026 Games, securing Italy's first gold of the Games, officials confirmed.
Lollobrigida, competing on her 35th birthday, finished more than two seconds ahead of silver medalist Ragne Wiklund of Norway, breaking the Olympic mark previously held by Irene Schouten, according to official timing.
After the race Lollobrigida hugged her 2½-year-old son Tommaso and told reporters "I did it for him," and in a post on X Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote, "Congratulations to Francesca Lollobrigida for an extraordinary Olympic gold," officials and her post show.
Lollobrigida, a four-time Olympian from Frascati who won a silver and a bronze at Beijing 2022, had considered retiring before returning for her home Games, records and her statements show.
The result moved Canada's Valerie Maltais to bronze and left the Netherlands off the women's 3,000m podium for the first time since 2010, records show, a development commentators say could reshape medal expectations in speedskating.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Lollobrigida’s victory as a personal, patriotic triumph by emphasizing motherhood, comeback narrative and crowd reaction. Editorial choices — emotive language, selection of child-centered quotes and linking to celebrity lineage — prioritize human-interest symbolism and resilience over comparative technical or competitive analysis.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Francesca Lollobrigida set an Olympic record time of 3:54.28 in the women's 3,000m speed skating event at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics.
Ragne Wiklund of Norway won silver, finishing more than two seconds behind Lollobrigida, and Valerie Maltais of Canada won bronze.
She won silver in the 3,000m and bronze in the mass start at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
It occurred on her 35th birthday, she dedicated it to her 2½-year-old son Tommaso, and it was Italy's first gold at their home Olympics.
She holds Italian records in 3,000m and 5,000m, won the 5,000m gold at the 2025 World Single Distances Championships in Hamar, and has 16 world championships in inline speed skating.
History
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