MILAN (AP) — Finally an Olympic champion on the day she turned 35, Italian speedskater Francesca Lollobrigida couldn't wait to run over to hug her 2 1/2-year-old son, Tommaso, after winning the women’s 3,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Games on Saturday.
She was just a tad disappointed she wasn't allowed to carry him to the top step of the podium when she went to collect her prize after clocking an Olympics-record 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, more than two seconds ahead of runner-up Ragne Wiklund of Norway. Valerie Maltais of Canada was third.
It was important to Lollobrigida — yes, if that last name sounds familiar, it's because her great aunt was the late actress Gina — to claim that medal, of course, particularly after a tough season in which she struggled with a virus. It also was significant to hear the on-their-feet spectators' roars as she earned the host country's first gold of these Olympics and Italy's first gold in women's speedskating at any Winter Games.
What meant the most, she said between peals of excited laughter and occasional coughs Saturday, was that she could do it with her child in the arena.
“Aside from doing this for me, I did it for him, so one day he will be proud of me,” Lollobrigida said. “Not just for being an Olympic champion, but because of the full journey we’ve lived together.”
Plus, she explained: “This was to show the people that you can be a mom and come back to be much stronger.”
Later, she described the months of dealing with an illness, which she thought might have been picked up by Tommaso at kindergarten, as giving her a “black mind” and contributing to her “crying after every race.”
“In the beginning of the season, I really wanted to give up,” Lollobrigida said. “But then the people who really believed in me said, ‘No, you really need to fight.’”
She collected two medals at Beijing four years ago: a silver in the 3,000 and a bronze in the mass start. Those were celebrated with a tattoo on her right arm, and a ring and necklace with Olympic symbols.
This time, she said afterward, she would have been satisfied with another bronze.
On Saturday, as one might expect, she was greeted by a big cheer during the introductions before her heat, and Lollobrigida responded with a big smile and a big wave with both arms overhead, before covering her chest with her hands.
“Finally, the fans were on our side,” Italian coach Maurizio Marchetto said with a smile. “Usually, they’re supporting the Dutch,” a country in which speedskating is a passion.
Racing with Maltais, Lollobrigida trailed at the first checkpoint. But the Italian kept gaining ground and, perhaps boosted by the loud support from her countrymen in the seats, surged on the final lap, arms swinging behind her.
“It was a competition at home (for her),” Maltais said, “and I was expecting her to do something strong.”
How fast was Lollobrigida? Her time was not only much better than anyone else on the ice Saturday, it was more than 2 1/2 seconds faster than the Olympic mark set by Irene Schouten when she claimed the 3,000 gold at the 2022 Beijing Games.
There were four more skaters left to go after Lollobrigida was done. One was Wiklund, who saw Lollobrigida's performance and would say later, “I thought, ‘Wow.’"
Said Lollobrigida: “Imagine my reaction when I read the time.”
As Lollobrigida waited to find out if that time would stand up, she actually didn’t want to watch much, frequently covering her eyes with her hands.
Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome well-known for its white wine, and was participating in her fourth Olympics.
She grew up aware of the fame of Gina Lollobrigida, a star movie actress of the 1950s and '60s. And the skater wanted to make a name for herself.
“She would really be proud of (me),” Francesca said. “She was just a diva, but I’m trying, in my little world, to be a diva in sports.”
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
