SPEED SKATING

Birthday girl Lollobrigida kicks off Long Track competition with 3000m shot

06 Feb 2026

For more information about Speed Skating in the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, please check here.

Francesca Lollobrigida (ITA) will celebrate her 35th birthday in pursuit of the first medal in Long Track Speed Skating, as competition at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 kicks off with the women's 3000m on Saturday. The Italian veteran won silver in the distance four years ago and, on home ice, will face strong rivals in Joy Beune (NED) and Ragne Wilkund (NOR).

Stronger than ever

Lollobrigida is gearing up for her last Olympic Games in Milan. As a former inline skater, she concentrated on the Mass Start when she first entered the speed skating world, but over the years, Lollobrigida also learned how to negotiate the classical distances as well.

After she won 3000m silver and Mass Start bronze at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, she carried the Italian flag at the closing ceremony before taking maternity leave. She gave birth to her son Tomasso in May 2023 and returned to competition in September 2023.

"After the [2022] Beijing Olympics, I had two options in front of me: becoming a mother or participating in the Olympics [2026 Milan-Cortina] at home. I didn't want to give up either of them," she explained.

Lollobrigida came back stronger than ever. Last season, she won the 5000m at the World Championships in Hamar to take her career first World title.

Francesca Lollobrigida celebrates her 5000m ISU World Championship victory in March 2025 © ISU

After coming in second in last year's long-distance World Cup Trophy, she has been struggling to find her rhythm this season, finishing ninth in the World Cup Trophy. Home ice may be just the inspiration she needs.

One shot for Beune

Lollobrigida had to bow her head to the now retired Irene Schouten (NED) four years ago in Beijing, and one of her main rivals in Milan will be Schouten's countrywoman Joy Beune.

Dutchwoman Joy Beune's only individual event at the Milan Games will be the 3000m © ISU

After not having qualified for the Beijing Olympic Games, Beune again had a bumpy ride at the Dutch Olympic trials for Milan 2026. Despite having won all four 1500m races she entered in this World Cup season, she failed to qualify for her favorite distance in Milan. She did seize a ticket for the 3000m, making that her only shot at individual gold. Beune will also have a medal chance at the Team Pursuit in the second week of the Games.

Wiklund in form

Four years ago, Wiklund came fifth in the 3000m. The 25-year-old Norwegian is the most consistent of all long-distance skaters in the women's field and secured her fourth consecutive long-distance World Cup trophy two weeks ago, confirming her excellent form with a track record and leaving Beune over two seconds behind at the Max Aicher Arena in Inzell, Germany.

Ragne Wiklund (NOR) secured her fourth successive long-distance World Cup Trophy in Inzell (GER) last month © ISU

After the three main favorites, Canada's Isabelle Weidemann and Valérie Maltais, Dutch contenders Merel Conijn and Marijke Groenewoud and of course World Record holder Martina Sáblíková (CZE) are in contention for a medal too. The Czech veteran is the most experienced of all participants in long track speed skating in Milan. She started her Olympic journey on the ice in Torino 2006 and collected three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze over the course of five Olympic Games.

The draw

Conijn gets competition underway versus Laura Hall (CAN) in the first of 20 pairings on Saturday. Most of the favorites skate after the ice-cleaning break halfway through the competition. Sáblíková is the first to take the ice in the bottom half of the program, taking on Josie Hofmann from Germany.

Lollobrigida faces Maltais in the eighth pairing and will aim to set a high bar for the remaining two pairings. Wiklund meets Groenewoud in the penultimate heat, while Beune and Weidemann will have the advantage of knowing what the target for the podium is when they start in the final pairing.

The numbers