At the moment, Italy has dropped to second place in the overall medal standings at these Winter Olympics, with 11 medals, one fewer than Norway. In just four days of competition, the host nation matched the total number of podium finishes it achieved at the Torino 2006 Games.
To explain how exceptional Italy’s performance has been so far, it is enough to note that since the Winter Olympics began, Italy ranks sixth in total medals won, with 813 medals, while in first place are the United States with 3,112 medals – almost four times as many. Yet at these Games, Italy has nearly twice as many medals as the Americans, at least for now.
Italy celebrated one of its most successful days of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics yesterday, highlighted by a gold medal in short track speed skating and another podium finish in curling.
The defining moment came in the mixed 2000-meter relay, where the Italian team of Arianna Fontana, Elisa Confortola, Thomas Nadalini, Pietro Sighel, Chiara Betti and Luca Spechenhauser delivered a flawless performance. Skating with tactical discipline and explosive speed in the final laps, Italy stopped the clock at 2:39.019, finishing ahead of Canada and Belgium. The victory sparked an emotional reaction from the home crowd and instantly became one of the signature moments of these Games.
The gold carried special significance for Arianna Fontana. Competing in her sixth Winter Olympics, Fontana secured the 12th Olympic medal of her career, further cementing her status as Italy’s most decorated Winter Olympian. She first reached the podium at Torino 2006 at just 15 years old and has since won medals at every Winter Games she has competed in. Her Olympic record now includes three gold medals, along with multiple silver and bronze finishes across individual and relay events. With this latest triumph, she continues to rank among the most accomplished short track skaters in Olympic history.
Italy also added to its medal tally in mixed doubles curling, where Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner claimed bronze with a 5-3 victory over Great Britain. Their disciplined shot-making and defensive precision proved decisive in the closing ends, giving Italy another podium on a day already marked by celebration.
