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Italian speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida, the reigning women’s world champion over 5,000 metres, added an Olympic gold medal on Thursday after winning the 3,000 Saturday for her country’s first gold medal in Milan on her 35th birthday.
Lollobrigida, who finished the World Cup season ninth in the long distance world rankings, reached the line in six minutes, 46.17 seconds, 10-100ths ahead of Dutch opponent Merel Conijn. Norway’s Ragne Wiklund (6:46.34) took bronze at Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
“I’m feeling amazing. For me, it was important because last year I won the world title in this distance,” Lollobrigida told reporters. “To repeat myself again with the Olympic title is a dream.”
Isabelle Weidemann of Ottawa was unable to repeat or improve her silver-medal performance from the 2022 Beijing Olympics, finishing fifth in a season-best 6:50.08, 3-100ths faster than her silver effort on Dec. 5 at a World Cup stop in Heerenveen, Netherlands, but nearly four seconds from bronze.
“I just didn’t have it,” she said, smiling despite the letdown. “First lap in, I was like, ‘Whoa, this is really fast. Oh no, I can’t get this back, this is a bit gone.’ But I fought the whole time. Had nothing left.
“I’m a little bit disappointed, to be honest. I wanted to be on the podium today really badly.”
The 30-year-old Weidemann was also fifth in the women’s 3,000 on Saturday after taking bronze in the event four years ago in China.
“I feel like a very different athlete than four years ago, I feel a lot older, a lot more experience, for sure, a lot more nervous too,” she said. “There’s some expectation that I want to perform. I know how much results like that mean to Canada, and so I wanted to bring that home.”
Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome known for its white wine, and her great aunt was the late Gina Lollobrigida, a film start of the 1950s and ’60s.
Also competing Thursday was Czech great Martina Sablikova, who has three gold among her seven Olympic medals.
‘Beautiful future’ for Canada’s Hall
Sablikova pulled out of the 3,000 because of a viral infection and had said she would be able to skate on Thursday but did not expect to contend. The 38-year-old was 11th of 12 finishers in 7:07.08, nearly 21 seconds behind Lollobrigida.
Laura Hall of Salmon Arm, B.C., is competing at her first Olympics and placed ninth in 7:02.90.
“I’m excited for Laura Hall. She has a beautiful future,” said CBC Sports analyst Anastasia Bucsis. “She’s hard-working with talent to boot.
“I think she did a fantastic job skating to her ability and following the race plan. This is an athlete that’s only 22 years old. Brilliant and bright future.”
A few hours earlier, moguls skier Mikaël Kingsbury and snowboarder Éliot Grondin captured silver for Canada’s fifth and sixth medals in Italy. The Canadian team is seeking its first gold medal, boasting three silver and three bronze.
Weidemann’s silver two months ago in Heerenveen was her first individual distance medal in 13 months. A week later, she added silver in the 3,000 in Hamar, Norway.
Weidnemann is known for her patient approach, measured, efficient strides to maintain a consistent speed and conserve energy. Eventually, she reels in fading competitors who’ve lost their breath with a late surge.
But that push never came Thursday. She sat ninth after 1,000 metres and steadily climbed to fifth at the 2,200m mark. That was as high as she would get.
“I was kind of waiting for it,” said Weidemann. “Throughout the season, I’ve had these moments where it clicks and all of a sudden, ‘Oh, there’s the pressure, there’s the speed,’ and I feel like I can start to catch people when they die, but I just didn’t have it; there was no extra gear today.
Weidemann to defend women’s team pursuit gold
Weidemann is expected to join teammates Valérie Maltais and Ivonie Blondin to defend their Olympic title in women’s team pursuit. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
In 2022, they beat defending Olympic champion Japan’s Ayano Sato, Miho Tagaki and Nana Tagaki at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing in an Olympic record two minutes 53.44 seconds.
It marked Canada’s first Olympic victory in the event after it grabbed 2006 silver in Turin, Italy in the Games debut of women’s team pursuit.
“We’re excited to empty the tank, see what’s in there, fight to be on top of the podium,” she said. “There’s definitely some fire. I feel the 3K was a bit disappointing, the 5K was a bit disappointing. So I’m like, ‘Ah, let’s rip it out.'”
Maltais, who hails from La Baie, Que., is fresh off her first individual speed skating medal at her fifth Winter Olympics, bronze in the women’s 3,000.
The 35-year-old arrived at these Olympics on a roll, boasting six World Cup finishes this season in individual races. Her best result was silver, ahead of Wiklund, at a November competition in Salt Lake City.
Last month, Maltais delivered a two-medal performance in Inzell, Germany, taking silver in mass start a day after bronze in the 3,000.
Blondin, 35, is making her fourth Olympic appearance as one of Canada’s most decorated speed skaters of all time. She took home two medals in Beijing and is looking for more Olympic hardware, especially in her signature event, the mass start.
