Speed Skating at the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026

[Andre Han 185]

I believe this will be an unforgettable first day for the Italians.

[phelps 8,768]

7 minutes ago, orangeman said:

Two 35 year olds on the podium. A great day for us old people! 

not time for retirement, yet!

[Andre Han 185]

Congratulations

[heywoodu 16,476]

Just now, phelps said:

not time for retirement, yet!

Exactly! Same age as Lollobrigida and unlike her (presumably) I still have close to 35 years of work to go  

[Dennis 849]

5 hours ago, Dennis said:

3000m Women’s Prediction: My (Bold) Take for Today
 

Here is a slightly risky prediction for today’s 3000m. While my gold and silver picks align with the betting odds, I expect a few wildcards to crash the top five and shake up the final standings.

1.  Ragne Wiklund: Will set a benchmark time that gets inside Beune's head.

2. Joy Beune: Starts too aggressively and loses momentum in the final two laps.

3. Isabelle Weidemann: Will be motivated by seeing Beune fade in the distance ahead of her.

4. Valerie Maltais: Skating before the heavy favorites allows her to set a solid, pressure-free time.

5.  Nadezhda Morozova: A specialist on slower tracks like this one; expect a strong performance.

6. Marijke Groenewoud: Will attempt to match Wiklund’s pace in her pair but will ultimately collapse.

7. Francesca Lollobrigida: Driven by the home crowd, but her current form isn't quite there.

8. Martina Sáblíková: The legend sometimes struggles with the high-speed laps nowadays, but her grit keeps her in the top ten.

9. Sandrine Tas: Has shown impressive consistency throughout the season.

10. Jeannine Rosner: A massive talent, but these Games likely come a bit too early in her development.

11. Kseniya Korzhova: A wildcard; she won the B-group twice this season and should finish mid-pack.

12.  Violette Braun: Similar to Rosner—the focus is fully on 2030, but she’s here for the experience.

13. Merel Conijn: Drawing the first pair is tough; she’ll likely struggle with nerves and the unknown ice conditions.

14.  Marina Zueva: An experienced veteran, but clearly past her physiological peak.

15.  Josie Hofmann: Her finish will likely reflect her steady results from this season.

16.  Kaitlyn McGregor: Expected to finish in her usual World Cup range.

17. Yang Binyu:  Has struggled to find her rhythm and potential all season.

18. Momoka Horikawa: A huge talent who hasn't been able to translate her potential into results lately.

19. Laura Hall: Likely just soaking in the Olympic atmosphere.

20.  Elizaveta Golubeva: More of a 1500m specialist; she generally requires faster ice to be competitive at this distance.

Removing Sáblíková from my prediction, I can at least say I predicted the top 8 correctly, just in a completely different order. 

 

• Francesca Lollobrigida: Predicted 7th -> Final Rank 1.
  Massive Miss: A legendary home-ice win on her 35th birthday.

• Ragne Wiklund: Predicted 1st -> Final Rank 2.
  Close: Held on for silver but couldn't match Lollobrigida's pace.

• Valerie Maltais: Predicted 4th -> Final Rank 3.
  Podium Miss: Correctly identified her as a major threat to the favorites, but she secured the Bronze.

• Joy Beune: Predicted 2nd -> Final Rank 4.
  Major Miss: The reigning World Champion faded in the final laps and missed a medal entirely.

• Sandrine Tas: Predicted 8th -> Final Rank 7.
  Close enough: A very accurate read on her consistent form this season.

• Josie Hofmann: Predicted 14th -> Final Rank 14.
  Perfect: Perfect prediction on her exact placement. My only one

• Jeannine Rosner: Predicted 9th -> Final Rank 19.
  Major Miss: Correct assessment that the Olympics came a bit too early in her career, though

The track was clearly incredibly fast today. It just goes to show that on Olympic ice, current momentum and home-crowd energy can override even the most consistent season results.

[Adriano 839]

Italian athletes here are like wine, if order are better? Alpine skiing, now here.

[NearPup 4,188]

Why is Olympic speed skating so much better than the World Cup or worlds? The only thing that really compares is the last day of a world all-round (and even then, only if its close).

[Faramir 520]

12 minutes ago, Federer91 said:

Our commentator mentioned that they actually never met while her great-aunt was still alive, which I find very questionable 

Hmmmm

 

[phelps 8,768]

3 minutes ago, phelps said:

it's a legend

actually, it's not true

it's quite common in the small villages to call "aunt" even people who actually might have some family ties, but well beyond the closer degrees

 

[Gianlu33 6,059]

3 minutes ago, phelps said:

it's quite common in the small villages to call "aunt" even people who actually might have some family ties, but well beyond the closer degrees

 

To put it simply: in the North they wouldn’t be considered relatives. In the South she definitely would be, since she’s the daughter of Lollobrigida’s brother’s daughter