The short track program at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics could not have opened better. The Italian mixed relay team has in fact won a weighty and enlightening gold medal, arriving at the end of a race managed with clarity and personality. The clock stopped at 2:39.019, a time that gave Italy the top step of the podium ahead of Canada and Belgium, with China finishing fourth. A success that is worth double: it is a technical confirmation and a strong signal sent from the first day of competition.
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A compact team and a flawless final
The Italian team – Arianna Fontana, Chiara Betti, Elisa Confortola, Pietro Sighel, Thomas Nadalini and Luca Spechenhauser – built the gold step by step. Quarters, semi-finals and final were faced with the same approach: control of position, clean changes and no rash choices.
In the final, Italy took the lead halfway through the match and never gave it up again. Pietro Sighel, in charge of the last lap, managed the advantage coolly, crossing the finish line without giving space to his opponents but instead allowing himself to turn around to celebrate with his teammates. The elimination of the Netherlands, considered one of the big favourites, was also decisive.
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Fontana, a record that is approaching
This medal has a special value for Arianna Fontana (author of the decisive overtaking mid-race) who reaches 12 Olympic medals – three gold, four silver and five bronze – becoming more and more the queen of Italian short track. At 35 years old, 20 years after his first medal and probably his last Olympics, Fontana proves once again that he is a technical and mental guide for the group. Now the sights are set on a historic goal: Edoardo Mangiarotti’s absolute record, stuck at 13 Olympic medals. An increasingly closer goal with all the races still to be played.
A gold dedicated to Martina Valcepina
The success was also dedicated to Martina Valcepina, forced to give up the Games after the serious injury on the eve of the start. A gesture that says a lot about the spirit of this team. The mixed relay, introduced at the Games only in 2022 in Beijing, where Italy had won silver, confirms itself as ideal terrain for the Azzurri.
With this gold, Italy now has ten overall medals at the Games, of which two are gold, and sends a clear message: the Italian short track is ready to play a leading role. And being the first race, the ice of Milan-Cortina still promises sparks.
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