L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 4 I taly on the podi- um. Above all, this is w h a t t h e M i l a n - C o r t i n a O l y m p i c s r e v e a l e d : a n extremely high sporting level among Italian athletes in the w i n t e r d i s c i p l i n e s , w h e r e women were the main pro- tagonists, delivering perfor- mances that were at times astonishing. It was not only a remark- a b l e m e d a l h a u l – w e l l beyond the historic record of L i l l e h a m m e r 1 9 9 4 – b u t medals won across an unusu- ally wide range of sports: from alpine skiing to luge, from speed skating to snow- board cross, from short track to the relays. The results also energized winter sports still relatively young in Italy, such as curling and big air. The "women of the snow" broke l o n g - s t a n d i n g b a r r i e r s . Above all, two figures stand out. Lisa Vittozzi, who had even considered retirement b e c a u s e o f b a c k p a i n , b e c a m e t h e f i r s t I t a l i a n , m a l e o r f e m a l e , t o w i n Olympic gold in biathlon; Arianna Fontana is now officially the most decorated Italian athlete in the history of the Olympic Games, sum- mer and winter combined – surpassing fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti, who won 13 medals between 1936 and 1 9 6 0 – w i t h 1 4 m e d a l s across six consecutive edi- tions, from the Turin 2006 Games (when she was only 15) to today. Italy, which will soon also host the Paralympic Games, truly found itself "at the cen- ter of the world," as Presi- dent of the Republic Sergio Mattarella had predicted. For the first time, he even took part in the opening cer- emony at Milan's San Siro stadium, arriving aboard a t r a m d r i v e n b y I t a l i a n motorcycling legend Valenti- no Rossi. The moment was carefully designed to con- f i r m t h e i m p o r t a n c e t h e country attributes to sport- ing culture. Not even serious injuries or ongoing physical prob- lems managed to halt the path to success. Eighteen- year-old Flora Tabanelli, the youngest medalist of the Games, received her bronze while awaiting surgery next month for a torn cruciate l i g a m e n t . F e d e r i c a Brignone – returning after a heavy skiing fall that had sidelined her for ten months a n d t h a t m a n y b e l i e v e d might prevent her from even walking again – won two brilliant gold medals. In the Cortina giant slalom, the two athletes who tied behind her literally knelt in recogni- tion of her sporting great- ness, in full Olympic spirit. Shortly afterward, a flyover by the Frecce Tricolori and Mattarella's congratulations completed a perfect day. If every achievement has its own story, made of deter- mination and willpower, the c h a l l e n g e a g a i n s t l i m i t s filled stands and courses alike. Los Angeles 2028 is already close, the five rings of the Summer Games visi- ble on the horizon: the emo- tional momentum that snow and ice stirred among Italian supporters in recent days is already the best fuel for the athletes who, in 28 months, will wear the Tricolor. They will follow the team that, across the venues of Milan and Cortina, Antholz-Anter- s e l v a , B o r m i o , L i v i g n o , Predazzo and Lake Tesero, fielded 195 athletes compet- ing in 16 sports. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e I O C , however, this energy is not limited to Italy. With 1.27 million tickets sold in the first seven days of competi- tion, more than 250,000 vis- itors to the Fan Villages in a week, and an average of 25.7 m i l l i o n v i e w e r s o n N B C alone – double the audience of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics – the results clear- ly exceeded expectations. Yet it should not really come as a surprise. The magic of the Olympics lies precisely here: in the collective ritual o f t h e e v e n t ; i n t h e h e l d breath over the hundredths of a second that decide a slalom; in the applause that c o m f o r t s t h o s e w h o j u s t m i s s t h e p o d i u m ; i n t h e beauty of achievement that encourages young people to take up sport and test them- selves; and in the "show- c a s e " t h a t , a s P r e s i d e n t Mattarella noted, made it possible to present "our cul- t u r e , o u r f r i e n d s h i p , o u r hospitality." T h r e e d a y s b e f o r e t h e closing ceremony, which will i l l u m i n a t e t h e A r e n a d i V e r o n a u n d e r t h e t h e m e Beauty in Action – a true cultural laboratory capable of transforming art, history and creativity into a shared experience – Italy won 26 medals, placing second in the standings behind only Norway. There were nine golds: two for Francesca Lollobrigi- da in the 3,000- and 5,000- metre speed skating events, The winter of the Azzurri: triumph, resilience, and national pride BARBARA MINAFRA NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS CONTINUED TO PAGE 6 Go Team Italy! The gold medal winners for the mixed short-track speed skating relay. A special thanks to CONI for the images in this article (Photo: Scaccini/CONI)

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