Italy has opened the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a strong and diverse medal count, confirming the depth of its winter sports program and taking full advantage of competing on home snow and ice. After the first phase of competition, the Italian team has collected 9 medals overall – 1 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze.
After the second day of competition, Italy leads the medal table in terms of total medals won and has already surpassed its medal count achieved in 12 of the 20 previous editions of the Winter Olympics.
The highlight so far has been Francesca Lollobrigida’s gold medal in women’s 3000 m speed skating. Skating in front of a packed arena, Lollobrigida delivered a flawless race and stopped the clock at 3:54.28, setting a new Olympic record. Her victory marked Italy’s first ever Olympic gold in women’s long-distance speed skating and accounted for 11% of Italy’s total gold medals at these Games to date.
Alpine skiing has also played a major role in Italy’s medal haul. Giovanni Franzoni captured silver in the men’s downhill, finishing just fractions of a second behind the winner after a high-risk run marked by aggressive lines and top speeds exceeding 130 km/h. Veteran skier Dominik Paris added bronze in the same event, earning his first Olympic medal after years as a World Cup contender.
Italy’s biathlon tradition was reinforced by a silver medal in the mixed relay. The team of Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer, Dorothea Wierer, and Lisa Vittozzi delivered a near-perfect performance, missing only 2 targets out of 40 shots and keeping a consistent skiing pace across the 4×6 km course.
Several bronze medals underlined Italy’s versatility across winter disciplines. Sofia Goggia returned to the Olympic podium with bronze in the women’s downhill, showing resilience after recent injuries. In snowboarding, Lucia Dalmasso claimed bronze in the women’s parallel giant slalom, confirming Italy’s growing strength in technical board events. Speed skater Riccardo Lorello earned bronze in the men’s 5000 m, finishing less than 1 second behind silver in a tightly packed race. Dominik Fischnaller added another bronze in men’s luge singles, a discipline where Italy has historically been competitive. The Italian figure skating team also secured bronze in the team event, combining solid technical scores with strong program components.
