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Italy Sets Winter Games Record With 26 Medals at Milan-Cortina

Italian officials credit long-term support for athlete mothers alongside flexible schooling for a women-led surge.

Overview

  • Italy’s silver in the women’s 3,000m short-track relay in Milan lifted the host nation to 26 medals, with a tally of nine gold, five silver and 12 bronze.
  • Arianna Fontana reached 14 Olympic medals with the relay silver, becoming Italy’s most-decorated Olympian.
  • Earlier on Feb. 18, Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino took bronze in the men’s team sprint cross-country, extending the national record as Norway won gold.
  • Women have delivered a majority of Italy’s golds and many podiums, highlighted by Federica Brignone’s giant slalom and super-G wins, Francesca Lollobrigida’s 3,000m and 5,000m titles, Lisa Vittozzi’s first Italian biathlon gold and the nation’s first women’s luge doubles crown by Andrea Voetter and Marion Oberhofer.
  • CONI leaders cite decade-long maternity protocols, ranking protections and dual-career schooling as catalysts for retention and success, with Italy currently second on the medal table behind Norway.