MILAN — Speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida secured Italy’s first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday, winning the women’s 3,000 meters in a record-setting Olympic time.
As fans rose to their feet and cheered enthusiastically for her on her 35th birthday, Lollobrigida clocked in at 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, finishing over two seconds ahead of Norway’s Ragne Wiklund, the runner-up.
Canada’s Valerie Maltais took the third spot.
A native of Frascati, a charming hill town near Rome famous for its white wine, Lollobrigida is also related to the late Gina Lollobrigida, a prominent actress in the 1950s and ’60s.
This marks Francesca Lollobrigida’s fourth Olympic appearance, and she celebrated her first gold— the first for an Italian woman in speedskating. Four years ago in Beijing, she won two medals: a silver in the 3,000 meters and a bronze in the mass start.
As anticipated, she received a warm welcome during her introduction before the heat, responding with a bright smile and a wave, both arms raised in joy, before placing her hands over her heart.
While racing alongside Maltais, Lollobrigida fell behind at the initial checkpoint. but, she steadily made up ground, and perhaps motivated by the enthusiastic crowd, she surged ahead on the final lap, her arms swinging energetically.
How remarkable was her performance? Not only was her time significantly better than any competitor’s on Saturday, it was also more than 2.5 seconds faster than the Olympic record set by Irene Schouten when she won gold in the 3,000 meters at the 2022 Beijing Games.
After Lollobrigida completed her race, four more skaters were yet to perform, and as she awaited the results, she found it hard to watch, often covering her eyes with her hands.
