Exclusive: From near-retirement to double Olympic champion, Lollobrigida credits family and perseverance

Francesca Lollobrigida did something at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics that is likely to make future sports historians smile – she doubled down. Five days after triumphing in the women's 3,000 meters, she also won the 5,000 meters in Milan, adding a second gold to her name and cementing her status as Italy's most-decorated speed skater at the Games, with four medals overall.

The victory was a study in margins and persistence. Lollobrigida edged the Czech Republic's 38‑year‑old Martina Sablíkova by a mere tenth of a second to take the title, punctuating a comeback few would have bet on just a few months earlier. A run of illnesses had left her considering retirement; instead, she found a different finish line to aim for.

"If I look back, I just want to say thanks to the people around me – to the people who really believed in me, even when I wasn't believing in myself," Lollobrigida told Sports Scene reporter Zhu Mandan at the Italy House in Milan. "They gave me the strength to say, okay, just follow your dreams and you will get here. And that's what I have now."

Her priorities after the awards ceremony were refreshingly domestic. Asked what she wanted most after the victory, Lollobrigida spoke of a two‑year‑old waiting at home.

"You just want to hold your son. I didn't even have time – just a kiss before the race," she reflected. "Then immediately after, the ceremony, the media. It was just this spontaneous moment where all I wanted was to hug him."

Motherhood, she said, reshaped her career rather than ended it.

"Yes, this was my goal – to show my son how strong his mom can be," the 35-year-old added. "After I became a mother, I won more titles, more medals. I wanted to achieve that for myself and for everyone who believed I still could."

The host country's sport officials were predictably pleased. Luciano Buonfiglio, President of Italy's National Olympic Committee, praised the entire team before focusing on international cooperation.

"There is not only Francesca, we are a very big team, a fantastic team, with fantastic and beautiful women, and very strong men," he noted. "I wish that in the next month we will go to Beijing, for an agreement from Italy Olympic Committee and Olympic Committee of China to improve our relationship. Because it's very important for the sport, for Italy, for China and for all the others."