The great-granddaughter of the famous Italian actress, the second Olympic gold in a race decided by 10 hundredths!
Article by Luminița Paul – Published on Thursday, 12 February 2026, 21:58 / Updated on Thursday, 12 February 2026 22:06
Francesca Lollobrigida (35 years old) won the gold medal in speed skating in the 5,000 m event, beating the Dutch Merel Conjin by only 10 hundredths and the Norwegian Ragne Wiklund by 17. It is the second title for the Italian woman, after the one at 3,000 m.
He once again raised the decibel level in the Milan Speed Skating Stadium, winning his second Olympic gold, this time in the 5,000m. Francesca Lollobrigida won with a time of 6:46.17, enough to remove her from the first step of the Dutch podium Merel Conijn for only 10 hundredths of a second.
Norwegian Ragne Wiklund finished the competition in the bronze position, being only 17 hundredths away from the title. A tight and thrilling finale with a happy ending for the crowd favourite.
Lollobrigida had managed to win the gold medal on February 7, the day she turned 35, in the 3,000m. These accolades add to the silver in the 3,000m and the bronze in the block start at Beijing 2022, and the total makes her the most decorated Italian in her sport at the Olympics.
Francesca Lollobrigida: “I have two more races, please be with me again”
⛸️💥 AT CARRERA DE LOS JUEGOS
🇮🇹🔥 La agonia con premio de la reina de #MilanoCortina2026Francesca Lollobrigida. Gold with Olympic record in 3000m and now, gold in 5000m.
🏅 Fourth Olympic medal, a year después de ser madre 🤰
📺 Lo viviste en Eurosport y @StreamMaxES pic.twitter.com/tPk9lzqm3e
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) February 12, 2026
“It's amazing,” she said moments after the pageant ended. “For me the victory was important because last year he won the world title at this distance. To repeat the performance with the Olympic title is a dream come true“, he added.
Lollobrigida competed against the legendary Martina Sablikova (38 years old), winner of 3 Olympic titles, two silver and two bronze medals during five editions of the Olympic Games. Milano Cortina, sixth, is the last, and the Czech was behind the Italian.
After seeing the result on the table, Francesca was able to show her joy. He thanked the audience: “I'm glad everything went as planned. I wanted to capitalize on the support of the viewers. And I have two more races, please be with me again“, he indicated with humor.
He had gone through all the states: disbelief, joy, then smiles. “It was nice. This time I focused on feeling good because I already had a gold medal. I was in top form at 3,000m, the rest came easily because I'm in good shape,” she explained, quoted by Gazzetta dello Sport.
Francesca Lollobrigida, praise for Federica Brignone
Then he wanted to address a special message to a compatriot. “I want to tell you that Federica Brignone gave me the motivation, she showed us and is living proof that nothing is impossible”, emphasized the great-granddaughter of the legendary actress Gina Lollobrigida, referring to the triumph of the skier in the super-G event.
Italian Federica Brignone, winner of Olympic gold in the Super-G at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics / Photo: Imago Images
Brignone, 35, is coming off the back of multiple leg fractures and a torn anterior cruciate ligament at the Italian National Championships in April 2025. She only returned to competition three weeks ago, competing in the giant slalom of the Kronplatz World Cup stage on January 20.
With the victory in the super-G, Federica won the first Olympic title of her career. There are similarities between her and Francesca Lollobrigida: compatriots, the same age, the fact that they didn't have gold at the Olympic Games until Milan Cortina. And a few more chances to increase his hoard.
