Italian speedskater Lollobrigida wins race by 0.1 seconds for her 2nd gold

MILAN (AP) — Francesca Lollobrigida claimed her second gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Thursday, winning the women’s speedskating 5,000 meters by an incredibly narrow margin to the delight of the home crowd.

With fans rising to their feet and roaring on every lap, Lollobrigida finished in 6 minutes, 46.17 seconds — just 0.1 seconds faster than Merel Conijn of the Netherlands.

Ragne Wiklund of Norway, the runner-up to Lollobrigida in the 3,000 meters, was third, 0.17 seconds off the pace.

Lollobrigida won the 3,000 on Saturday, her 35th birthday, for host Italy's first gold medal.

That was her first gold in her fourth Olympics. In Beijing four years ago, she won silver in the 3,000 and bronze in the mass start.

Lollobrigida is from Frascati, a hill town just outside Rome and well-known for its white wine, and her great aunt was the late Gina Lollobrigida, a film star of the 1950s and ’60s.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics