Italy's first medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games, brought by the great-granddaughter of a famous actress. Olympic record on her birthday

Francesca Lollobrigida, the great-granddaughter of actress Gina Lollobrigida, won the gold medal in the 3,000m speed skating event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday, the very day she turned 35.

It was a “perfect day,” the Italian athlete said after the triumph, according to NBC News.

“My family was here watching me and it's incredible because we're in Italy, and it's the dream of my dreams,” said Francesca Lollobrigida.

Lollobrigida finished the event in 3:54.28, more than two seconds better than the new Olympic runner-up, Norway's Ragne Wiklund. The bronze medal was won by Canada's Valerie Maltais.

Until now, the record was 3:56.93 and had been set by Irene Schouten of the Netherlands at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Italian took time off after the Beijing Games to become a mother and was considering pulling out ahead of her home country's edition, but ultimately decided to take part.

Tomasso, her son, was born in May 2023, according to The Athletic.

“It was not so easy to combine the role of a mother with that of a skater,” Lollobrigida said after the race, dedicating her victory to herself and to those who believed in her.

Francesca Lollobrigida is the first athlete from Italy to win the gold medal in a women's speed skating event and also the one to bring home the first gold for Italy at the 2026 edition of the Winter Olympics.