Olympics, Italia gold in speed skating

The Ukrainian skeleton skier who was disqualified from the Olympics in Milan Cortina was presented with more than $200,000 to help him continue to compete and support his country. Vladislav Heraskevych was excluded from the Olympic competition last week because he insisted on wearing a 'memory helmet' decorated with images of more than 20 Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed during the war against the Russian invasion of the country. Ukrainian businessman Rinat Akhmetov - owner of the Shakhtar Donetsk football team and the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol - donated the money to Heraskevych through his charitable foundation. The amount is equal to what someone who returns to Ukraine with an Olympic gold medal receives. Akhmetov stated that Heraskevych 'returns to Ukraine as a true winner'

Olimpiadi invernali Milano Cortina 2026 - Skeleton - Vladyslav Heraskevych dell'Ucraina compare davanti al Tribunale Arbitrale dello Sport - Hilton Milano, Milano, Italia - 13 febbraio 2026 Vladyslav Heraskevych dell'Ucraina e suo padre e allenatore, Mykhailo Heraskevych, con in mano il suo casco dopo essere comparso davanti al Tribunale Arbitrale dello Sport a seguito della sua squalifica dalle Olimpiadi invernali Milano Cortina 2026 per aver indossato un casco in omaggio agli atleti morti durante l'attacco della Russia all'Ucraina REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

The Italian tells what she thought immediately before jumping for the Olympic bronze.

For the moment we have not been pre-alerted, but if he will come he will be welcome, just as all those who wanted to participate both as fans and as institutional representatives in these great Olympics are welcome'. Thus the president of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, on the sidelines of the meeting 'Valtellina, destination Olympic Games', in progress at the Arena experience of Casa Lombardia in Milan, responding to those who asked him to confirm the arrival in Milan of the US president, Donald Trump, if the US National Hockey team will go to the final. The competition is scheduled for Sunday at the Santa Giulia Arena. To those who then ask him if he fears the possibility of possible protests, Fontana replies: 'There were protests before and during, so even if they do after, I expect it'. Besides, he notes, 'unfortunately there are people who do not understand what the real advantage, benefit and joy of the Italians and the country is. If they want to continue to make their protests, I feel sorry for them because they lose something, the sense that emerges from these Olympics, the atmosphere that one breathes, the beauty of the competitions. Those who have lost it,' he concluded, 'have lost something, worse for them'.

"During the race the legs were there, the head was there and also the heart, which is crucial. Everything was perfect'. So said Davide Ghiotto to the Rai Sport microphones after Italia's gold in the men's team pursuit speed skating at the Games in Milan Cortina. "I feel great now, certainly after the quarter-final heat we had shown that we were there, also as time, and we believed in it even more - he concluded - Beating the USA had never been possible this year, we remained very focused. It was not easy to beat the Netherlands, even managing to save some energy, but doing two competitions in one day could favour us as we are 'training animals'."

Andrea Giovannini, Michele Malfatti and Davide Ghiotto make Mameli's anthem resound at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, twenty years after Turin 2006, by winning the team pursuit ahead of the Americans.

'In outdoor sport anything can happen, just as we miss a shot, it can happen to others'. The compactness of a team is measured by words like those uttered by Lukas Hofer after a bitter fourteenth place for the Azzurri in the Olympic relay in Antholz, which was also influenced by the choice of material. The podium was contested by the favourites. France won ahead of Norway (+9.8) and Sweden (+57.5). The Italians advanced with difficulty from the first metre. Patrick Braunhofer racked up second after second, dropping to second last, despite an excellent performance on the polygon. He had not been at his best for days and for precautionary reasons had left the common room with Tommaso Giacomel, but today he felt good. "I am certainly not satisfied with my performance. It's not the best if a relay starts immediately like this,' 'Brauni' commented regretfully. It didn't go much better for Lukas Hofer, who finished with the 15th fastest time on skis. "We have to analyse calmly after the race, when the adrenaline has dropped. We have to evaluate together and come to conclusions," said the South Tyrolean, admitting: "We all wanted to do well in this relay, because it represents the values of the team. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes badly. A rather compact snow fell in Antholz, it may be that a change in humidity influenced the choice of material. It doesn't matter, that's the result and in a real team you don't pass the buck. "I can guarantee that we gave our all, we spat blood to honour this jersey," assured third fractionalist Nicola Romanin (16th on skis). At this point Tommaso Giacomel could only limit the damage with the twelfth time on skis. "I tried not to get lapped, I carried my body to the finish line," he says. "It was a terrible day, especially for the skimen. I know how much work they put in and how difficult their job is. These are the risks of the job. It happens, I remember when the French had glass paper under their skis,' Tommy pointed out. While Giacomel and his teammates now concentrate on the last race, the mass start, tomorrow it will be the turn - once again - of the Italian women to make up for it, as Lisa Vittozzi did in her triumphant run to gold in the pursuit. No Olympics for Rebecca Passler, first suspended from the games because she tested positive for letrozole and then readmitted. The relay team will consist of Hannah Auchentaller, Dorothea Wierer, Michela Carrara and Lisa Vittozzi. Passler's call-up was highly unlikely after ten days of forced stop, with no team training and especially no training on the range.

Not only Milan-Cortina: Italia could also take part in the 2030 Winter Olympics hosted by the French Alps. The opportunity comes from speed skating, a discipline for which France does not have an indoor facility that meets the requirements demanded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Hence the decision to move the competitions abroad, so as not to have to build an ad hoc facility and increase expenses.

The women's curling match against Japan ended 8-6 for Italia. The Olympic hall in Cortina celebrates. Second victory in a row for the Azzurri after five initial defeats, and it is already a result

After 2 hours and 42 minutes of play, everything is still to be decided in the women's curling match.

Olympic champions, world champions and European champions. E:39. 20 for Giovannini Ghiotto and Malfatti

The eighth end ended positively for the Italians, in a challenge that was played point-to-point.

Japanese draw in the eighth end of the Italia-Japan women's curling match. Balanced match.

Italian women ahead of Japan 5-4 at the seventh end.

It was immediately a draw between the Italian women's curling team and the Japanese women's curling team in the fourth end of the match.

The Italians in the speed skating team pursuit are certain to medal. The long track team, consisting of Davide Ghiotto, Andrea Giovannini and Michele Malfatti, finished the semifinal with the best time of 3:38.88. The final for first and second place, scheduled in the afternoon, will be against the USA. The Netherlands and China will compete for the bronze medal.

No Olympics for Rebecca Passler, first suspended from the games because she tested positive for letrozole and then readmitted. The Italian team has in fact made official the quartet of the women's biathlon relay scheduled for tomorrow in Antholz. Hannah Auchentaller will start. She will be followed by Dorothea Wierer and Michela Carrara, while the newly crowned pursuit champion Lisa Vittozzi will close the relay. Passler's call-up was highly unlikely after ten days of forced stop, with no team training and especially no training at the polygon. The quartet that had already made its mark in the World Cup was thus confirmed. The South Tyrolean will not even be able to take part in the mass start, the last event in Milan Cortina, because she is not among the top 15 in the World Cup and - having not competed in Antholz - not even among the top 30 in these games.

An architect of Russian nationality, who has lived in Milan for years, is the girl who opened the parade of the Ukrainian athletes' delegation at the opening ceremony of the Winter Games on 6 February by hoisting the illuminated sign with the name of the country. Anastasia Kucherova explained, first on Instagram and then to the Associated Press, that with her gesture, which was to remain anonymous, she wanted to express her opposition to Russia's war against Ukraine. The woman, wearing a long silver down jacket and black opaque glasses, then led the team into the San Siro stadium, which gave the Ukrainians a long applause. It seemed that the entire stadium 'recognised their independence, recognised their will for freedom, their courage in making it to the Olympics,' Kucherova told Ap, adding that she cried behind her dark glasses.

And two. The Norwegian Jens Luraas Oftebro, after the first step of the podium in the small ski jump, also took the gold medal in the Nordic combined individual event at the Tesero Lake cross-country skiing circuit. Fifth in the jump event, the Scandinavian got into gear on the narrow skis, wearing down his opponents. Silver for Austria with Johannes Lamparter and bronze for Finland with Ilkka Herola, the protagonist of a race set for the podium. First of the Italians was Aaron Kostner, who finished in 18th place, while Samuel Costa took 23rd place ahead of veteran Alessandro Pittin, at his sixth Olympics, who waved goodbye with 24th place.

To win against Switzerland in men's ice hockey, the appointment is postponed. The playoff match that saw the Azzurri engaged at the Milan Santagiulia Hockey Arena ended 3-0 for the Swiss. For men's hockey Italia, the Olympic Games ended here. Damian Clara, our goalkeeper, saved 43 of 46 shots in the match.

It took only six seconds with the extra man for the Swiss to extend the lead again and perhaps put an end to the game. Nico Hischier does not forgive and slips the third puck into the blue net. Damian Clara, our goalkeeper has nothing to reproach himself with.

Third period for Switzerland-Italy in men's ice hockey. The Swiss maintained the 2-0 lead that had accrued at the start of the game.

The men's 10 km cross-country skiing event started in Predazzo. As predicted, Japan's Ryota Yamamoto took the lead in the individual Nordic combined jump event. However, the ski jump in Predazzo has already mapped out which athletes will be in contention for the medal at the end of the cross-country skiing segment on the Lago di Tesero circuit. In second place was Austria's Johannes Lamparter at 8 seconds, then at 16 seconds was Norway's Andrea Skoglung.

Just behind at 22 seconds was the super favourite of the race, the Norwegian Jens Luraas Oftebro, who already has Normal Hill gold around his neck in this Olympic edition. Far behind the Italians: Samuel Costa in 27th, Aaron Kostner in 28th and veteran Alessandro Pittin, in his sixth Olympics, in 31st.

Heavy snow in Livigno. It snowed in the night and continued in the morning. Too much to start with the acrobatic competitions of women's slopestyle and aerials (both women's and men's). Qualification and finals postponed, probably until tomorrow morning. Still scheduled (for now) instead the men's big air - which yesterday gave us a wonderful bronze medal by Flora Tabanelli - scheduled at 7.30 pm today.

"The blue medallist? It's not over yet. These medals are the result of numbers and statistics. The Olympics, like all situation competitions, can bring medals or not, there are 116 competitions and we have two federations that in the last four years have come close to the podium, in the top four, in 75 competitions'. Thus Carlo Mornati, secretary general of the Italian National Olympic Committee, at an event on 'Livigno, capital of winter sports', in drawing up an initial balance of the Italian expedition to the Games when there are still six days of competitions left. "In October I said that this was the strongest team ever. We are an excellence. The competitiveness index takes into account from the World Cup to the European Championships you make a weighted average. The numbers were comforting, there was a solidity of the movement and I am not saying that these results were not written. Our sports movement is transversal. It is a movement and a long wave that comes from afar,' he added.

It was the end of the match (hopefully not the Olympics) for Italian-Canadian first-rower Matt Bradley, after a bad fall at the start of the game.

The United States dominated, on the first and third step of the podium, in the women's monobob final, which just concluded at the Cortina Sliding Centre.

While waiting for President Trump to lift the reservation about his possible presence in Milan to cheer on star-studded hockey, the White House has announced the presidential delegation that will attend the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics on 22 February in Verona. Leading the delegation will be T.H. Linda McMahon, US Secretary of Education; with her will be T.H. Tilman J. Fertitta, US Ambassador to Italia and the Republic of San Marino, and Ryan Suter, 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic medallist with the men's hockey team. The other members of the presidential delegation are Lauren Fertitta, spouse of the ambassador; Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration; Meredith O'Rourke, senior advisor to President Donald J. Trump; Bob Book, president of Book Capital Enterprises; Neil Book, president of Jet Support Services; Trish Duggan, founder of Imagine Museum; and Diane Hendricks, founder of ABC Supply. (ANSA).

Japan's Ryota Yamamoto set the best score in the jumping series that in Predazzo, in Val di Fassa, opened the second challenge of the 2026 Cortina 2026 Olympic programme. Fisi writes. On the Hs141 springboard, the Japanese athlete scored 150 points, which, however, gives him only an eight-second margin over the Austrian Johannes Lamparter (148) and 16″ over the Norwegian Andreas Skoglund (146.1), favourites for the most precious medals together with the other Norwegian Jens Lurås Oftebro, fifth at 0″22. Jumping series not particularly happy for the three Italians in the competition, Aaron Kostner closes with the 27th score (110.8) followed by Samuel Costa (106) and 2'37 and 2'56 from the Japanese. A little behind, 31st place for Alessandro Pittin (102.2) who pays 3'11 from Yamamoto. The 10-kilometre free technique pursuit cross-country split is scheduled from 13:45 in Lago di Tesero.

The match counts for the men's playoffs. The Helvetians were ahead 2-0 with five minutes to go in the first period.

Here are the Italian men and women competing today, 17 February, at the Olympic Games in Milan Cortina:

- Nordic combined: Gundersen LH and cross-country 10 km; Samuel COSTA, Aaron KOSTNER, Alessandro PITTIN, 10:00 and 13:45;

Further reading

Olympics, Flora Tabanelli bronze in freestyle big air. Short track, Fontana: 'What anger at the podium'

16 February 2026