MILAN, Italy — The moment on the first day of the Winter Olympics belonged to Francesca Lollobrigida.
The Italian speed skater gave the hosts their first gold medal of the Games in a thrilling women’s 3000m race on Saturday. On her birthday.
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Her time of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds set an Olympic record and was more than two seconds ahead of silver medalist Ragne Wicklund of Norway (3:56.54). Canadian Valerie Maltais won bronze (3:56.93).
Lollobrigida celebrated her 35th birthday by skating while much of the Italian audience stood and cheered the local star. After her win, she ran to greet her two-year-old son Tommaso, wrapping him in an Italian flag, a scene that instantly went viral.
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Lollobrigida was in the bottom pair and thus had to watch as four other skaters tried to knock her off the top spot, including two from the Netherlands, a traditional speed skating powerhouse. Next up were Wicklund and five-time world champion Marieke Groenewald of the Netherlands, who took home a medal when neither got past Lollobrigida.
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The final pair is Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann and five-time world champion Joy Beune of the Netherlands. They also failed.
All the while, Lollobrigida struggled to watch as she paced the warm-up area and called for her family. Television cameras showed Tommaso appearing to imitate the speed skater’s moves shortly before the final pair.
The Italians sparked off a raucous celebration when Beune reached the finish line ahead of Lollobrigida’s time.
This is Lollobrigida’s fourth Olympics appearance and her first gold medal. Four years ago in Beijing, she won silver in the 3,000 meters and bronze in the mass start. She is also the reigning 5000m world champion.
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Tommaso was born in 2023 and Lollobrigida returned to competition just 6 months after his birth and won a bronze medal in the mass start event at the 2024 European Championships. Tommaso is also a favorite for this event.
Bühner was the best player on the Dutch team, finishing fourth.
American Greta Myers came on as a last-minute substitute and finished 20th in her Olympic debut. Miles, 21, is the only American woman competing in the event.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Olympic Games, Global Sports, Women’s Olympic Games
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