Birthday Magic on Ice

Francesca Lollobrigida turned 35 and delivered the perfect gift to herself and Italy – Olympic gold and a record that nobody saw coming.

The Unexpected Champion

Francesca Lollobrigida skated into Olympic history on her 35th birthday, claiming Italy’s first gold medal of the 2026 Milan Cortina Games with a stunning Olympic record time of 3:54.28 in the women’s 3000m speed skating. She shaved more than two-and-a-half seconds off the previous record set by Dutch legend Irene Schouten in Beijing.

Nobody expected this. Lollobrigida entered the competition ranked just 9th in the world among women’s long distance skaters. Dutch speedskating favorite Joy Beune was expected to dominate, continuing a trend where Dutch skaters swept the podium in 2018. Instead, this marked the first time in 16 years that a Dutch speed skater didn’t finish with a medal in this event.

The Comeback Story

After winning silver and bronze at the Beijing Olympics, Lollobrigida took an entire season off to start her family, returning to competition just four months after giving birth. This was her fourth Olympics and first gold – indeed, the first for any Italian woman in speedskating.

This season nearly broke her. “This season, I wanted it to be the perfect one, but instead it was the worst of my life,” she revealed. “During the World Cup qualification, I was always crying after the races, and I wanted to quit because I got a virus, between October and December.” She battled the viral infection for months, with her best 3000m finish being just 4th place at a World Cup event in November.

Racing for Her Son

With fans rising to their feet and roaring as she competed on her birthday, Lollobrigida finished more than two seconds ahead of Norway’s Ragne Wiklund. She trailed at the first checkpoint but kept gaining ground, perhaps boosted by the loud support from her countrymen, surging on the final lap with arms swinging behind her.

As soon as the race ended, Lollobrigida tore away from the ice and down the tunnels, looking for her son Tommaso. “I wanted to show to my son, who was here watching, how strong his mum is. Never give up,” she said. “It was not that easy to combine being a mom and a skater. So seriously, this one is for myself and the people who believed in me.”

Hollywood Heritage

Lollobrigida hails from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome known for its white wine, and her great aunt was the late Gina Lollobrigida, a star actress of the 1950s and ’60s. The Italian star is the great-niece of Hollywood great Gina Lollobrigida – and wrote her own slice of box-office entertainment on Saturday.

She had considered retiring ahead of this year’s Winter Olympics but came back for a final Olympic race in her home country. She previously announced that this would be her final Olympic Games. On Saturday, she tearfully stood on the podium during the Italian national anthem, while the home crowd roared in celebration of her historic win.

Perfect Timing

Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver, becoming the first Norwegian woman to make an Olympic speed skating podium since 1980. Canada’s Valerie Maltais earned bronze, marking her first individual Olympic medal after helping Canada to relay medals in both short track and speed skating.

“I hope he will be proud of his mum,” Lollobrigida said about her son. “The message I want to show him is that if you have a dream, just follow it.” Sometimes the best birthday gifts are the ones you give yourself – and share with the world.