by Gianfranco Merenda
MILAN (ITALPRESS) – Eleven medals in the pocket, two bears already put to the neck and an outclass arrived at twelve Olympic podiums. Milan-Cortina 2026 gives Italy another day to remember, opened by the triumph of the mixed short track bracket in front of the home audience and by the name that is now synonymous with Olympic Games: Arianna Fontana. It is on the ice of the Forum of Assago that Italy lights up its day, conquering the second gold of these Games. Elisa Confortola, Arianna Fontana, Thomas Nadalini and Pietro Sighel sign a mixed relay dominated, managed with clarity from the batteries and decided by the overtaking of Fontana in mid-race, exploiting an indecision of China. From that moment on it is blue escape, certified by Sighel’s final show, which cuts the finish line turning towards rivals while Assago explodes of enthusiasm.
For Fontana is the twelfth Olympic medal of a career that crosses twenty years of history, from Turin 2006 to Milan-Cortina 2026: six consecutive podium Olympics, absolute record at the Winter Games and increasingly concrete pursuit at the Italian primacy of Edoardo Mangiarotti (13 medals). A gold that is also the first in the mixed short track bracket.
The Italian loot grows shortly after also in curling, where Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini conquer in Cortina the bronze in the double mix exceeding Britain 5-3 in the final for the third place. For the Olympic champions of Beijing is the second Olympic medal in career and a partial revenge after the defeat suffered in the round robin and the bitter semi-final lost with the United States. It is the eleventh medal for Italy in these Games.
Outside the podium, the women’s alpine skiing, with the combination of teams that on the Olympia delle Tofane smiles at Austria in front of Germany and the United States. Italy remains empty despite an excellent Laura Pirovano, third after the descent, stopped from the exit of Martina Peterlini in slalom. Unlucky day also for Sofia Goggia, fall down and forced to give up the test, as well as for the very young Giada D’Ambrosio, at the Olympic debut.
The women’s toboggan touches the medals with Verena Hofer and Sandra Robatscher who close the fourth and fifth place respectively, missing the podium of a thousandths. The 24-year-old Brixen stops just 65 thousandths from the bronze of the American Ashley Farquharson. The blue is also close to the silver medal, which is placed at the neck of the Latvian Elina Bota, second behind Julia Taubitz, gold. In the background, in Tesero, the blues stop at the semi-finals in the classic sprint. Federico Pellegrino closes seventh in his last Olympic sprint, at the end of a race full of emotions, while between Cassol and Ganz women lack little access to the final. In the biathlon of Anterselva, finally, Tommaso Giacomel is sixth in the individual 20 km, penalized by three errors at the shooting, with the gold that goes to the Norwegian Botn.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
