Italy secured a sensational gold medal in the short track mixed team relay at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, capitalising on dramatic falls involving several favourites to seal a memorable victory on home ice.
🔥 Milano Cortina, arriva la seconda medaglia d'oro 🥇 per l'Italia: trionfo della staffetta dello short track 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/KUn7XE3GLP
— Diretta Flashscore (@Direttaofficial) February 10, 2026
The Italian quartet of Pietro Sighel, Chiara Betti, Arianna Fontana and Thomas Nadalini delivered a composed and opportunistic performance to finish ahead of Canada, Belgium and China in a thrilling Olympic final. The race turned decisively in Italy’s favour when China made a small but costly error while leading, allowing the hosts to move into first place and maintain control through the closing laps.
Italy crossed the line to claim one of the most unexpected victories of the Games, bringing the nation’s medal tally at Milano Cortina to ten. For veteran Arianna Fontana, the triumph marked her twelfth Olympic medal, moving her into fourth place on the all-time list for individual Winter Olympic medals.
🔥🇮🇹 | Neeee, wat een grote teleurstelling…. de gemengde aflossing loopt uit tot een grote deceptie. Xandra Velzeboer gaat onderuit en daarmee is een medaillekans verkeken… 😓⛸️🇳🇱 #MilanoCortina2026
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 10, 2026
Winterspelen 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/tbKlWkqbaM
Canada, unable to mount a late challenge, secured the silver medal, while Belgium emerged as the surprise package of the event by taking bronze after an impressive and consistent performance throughout the competition. China finished just outside the podium places despite entering the final as defending champions.
The race for medals was further shaped by dramatic incidents earlier in the competition. Pre-event favourites the Netherlands suffered a major setback in the semi-finals when star skater Xandra Velzeboer fell, ending their hopes of reaching the gold medal race. The Dutch team went on to dominate the B final, setting an Olympic record time of 2:35.537, but were left reflecting on what might have been.
South Korea also saw its medal ambitions ended in controversial circumstances after a collision involving the United States’ Corinne Stoddard resulted in a Korean skater falling. The Korean team appealed for reinstatement into the final, but the protest was ultimately rejected.
Italy’s triumph provided one of the most dramatic moments of the short track programme, with the home crowd celebrating a victory built on composure, timing and seizing opportunity when it mattered most.
