Milan: Italy’s Francesca Lollobrigida delivered another electrifying performance on home ice, clinching her second gold medal of the Winter Olympics with victory in the women’s 5000m speed skating event.
Just five days after claiming the 3000m title on her 35th birthday, Lollobrigida stopped the clock at 6:46.17 to edge out the Netherlands’ Merel Conijn by a razor-thin 0.10 seconds. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund finished third, only 0.17 seconds behind the winning time in a thrilling finale at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
The victory marks Lollobrigida’s fourth Olympic medal, making her Italy’s most decorated Olympic speed skater.
“I’m feeling amazing,” Lollobrigida said after the race. “To repeat myself again with the Olympic title is a dream.”
Tight contest in the longest women’s race
In the longest women’s event of the Games, 12 skaters competed across six pairings.
Russia’s Marina Zueva initially set the benchmark at 6:57.70, but the medal battle intensified in the later heats.
Conijn surged into the lead in the fourth pairing, narrowly ahead of Belgium’s Sandrine Tas. In the penultimate heat, Wiklund appeared poised for gold, leading from the 1000m mark until the final lap before slipping just behind Conijn by 0.07 seconds.
That left the home crowd roaring for Lollobrigida in the final pairing, where she faced Czech legend Martina Sáblíková, a three-time Olympic champion competing in her sixth and final Games.
Sáblíková, 38, faded from medal contention, but Lollobrigida delivered a blistering final lap of 31.46 seconds to snatch gold and ignite celebrations inside the arena.
Emotional farewell for Sáblíková
Ahead of the medal ceremony, Sáblíková completed a lap of honour, closing out a glittering Olympic career that included seven medals and golds at Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014.
“I am very proud of myself,” she said. “I want to thank my team and my family.”
For Italy, however, the night belonged to Lollobrigida — now a double Olympic champion on home ice, with a place firmly secured in national sporting history.
Source: Milano Cortina Olympics 2026
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