Italy’s athletes shine at the Milan Cortina Olympics

CORTINA D’AMPEZO, Italy — Call it homefield advantage, call it national pride, Italy’s athletes are shining gold in the Winter Olympics underway in Milan and the Alps.

Riding high on the performances of national stars like Alpine skier Frederica Brignone and speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida and buoyed by a huge cast of lesser-known athletes, Italy has outpaced every other country except Norway.

At press time, Italians had secured eight gold, four silver, and ten bronze medals — a total of 22 medals overall. With five days to go, that already far exceeds Italy’s count of 17 medals at the last Winter Games.

“It’s incredible, because we are in Italy,” said Lollobrigida after winning the first of two speed skating medals. “The Olympics are in Italy, this is the dream of my dreams.”

Italian athletes are clearly keeping a close eye on the medal tally — and celebrating their outsized national performance.

“We are having an incredible [Winter Games], it was everyone’s dream,” said Brignone on Sunday, after claiming her second gold, in giant slalom, in the mountains above Cortina.

Brignone’s performance was especially sweet because she suffered a devastating injury while skiing only ten months ago.

“It wasn’t just the tibia, fibula, and a multi-fragment tibial plateau fracture,” she said. “There was also a complete knee dislocation, both ligaments were involved, … everything. So it’s truly one of those injuries that normally takes more than two years to recover from.”

Truly a team effort for Italy

“We are witnessing something historic, for our talented and extraordinary athletes,” said Giovanni Malagò, an Italian businessman who sits on the International Olympic Committee.

One fact that makes Italy’s performance remarkable is that the country’s medal count is spread evenly over a wide variety of winter sport disciplines.

Norway, while leading in gold and overall medals, is highly concentrated in just two sports, biathlon and cross-country skiing, which account for 16 of 22 medals.

Italy, by contrast, has racked up strong performances in Alpine skiing, luge, speed skating and snowboarding – with unexpected contributions in other sports.

“It is really an incredible emotion to be on the top of the podium here at home, in front of all these fans, my family, my friends,” said Lisa Vittozi on Sunday, after winning Italy’s first-ever gold medal in biathlon. She also won a silver at these Games.

Dominick Fischnaller, the veteran Italian luge sled racer, has also picked up two bronze medals sliding on Italy’s brand new sled track, completed in Cortina just in time for the Games.

“It means a lot, for sure. [M]any people made it possible that we have such a nice track here. It was really important, and I’m very proud of it,” he said.

Italian veterans retire with new medals

There are also poignant swan songs underway in Italy as some of the country’s Olympic veterans have chosen to end their careers on home snow and ice.

Dorothea Wierer, the winningest biathlete in Italian history, announced she’ll retire after these Games. She’s added a silver medal to her collection with two more races to go before the Olympics close.

“It is really beautiful to hear the Italian national anthem being played in this stadium and to see so many fans in the stands singing it,” Wierer said.

Speedskater Arianna Fontana has also announced this will be her final Games.

“I’m pretty proud of all the choices that I have made throughout my career that help me to be here today,” she said, after becoming the first woman to medal in six consecutive Winter Olympics, capturing gold and bronze.

Cross-country skier Federico Pellegrino is also ending his professional career in style.

“Another chance like this will never happen again,” he said, after winning a bronze medal in a team relay race on Sunday. “An Olympics in your home country is something that we all had today and then (for us) never again.”