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- Olympic gold medal after returning after giving birth in 2023Olympic record 'double celebration' on 35th birthday
Francesca Rolobrida (35) of Italy's national speed skating team has become the first gold medalist at the 2026 Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo (Italy) Winter Olympics.
Rolobrida stood atop the podium with a time of 3:54.28 in the women's 3,000m speed skating at the Milan Ice Skating Arena on the 8th (Korea time). Norway's Rangne Wicklund (3:56.54) and Canada's Valerie Maltei (3:56.93) followed.
Rolobrida won her first Olympic gold medal in her career after the Sochi 2014 Games, followed by the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and the 2022 Beijing Games. He won a silver medal in the women's 3,000m at the 2022 Beijing Games and a bronze medal in the mass start.
He is also a 'mother player' with children. The year after the Beijing Olympic Games, he briefly stopped his career due to childbirth, returned after childbirth and participated in this competition.
However, ahead of the Olympics, he has not received much attention because he has never been on the podium at this season's World Cup. However, Rolobrida roared after winning a surprise gold medal with the 'Olympic Record'.
Rolobrida, who won a gold medal on his 35th birthday local time as well as his first gold medal and Olympic record, said, "I once thought I'd rather quit than be disappointed at the Olympics in my hometown. Still, I'm really happy to do it after trying hard without giving up," he said.
Rolobrida said, "I spend more than 250 days away from home (for my career). It is not easy to play a role as a mother and a skater at the same time, but I want to dedicate this gold medal to everyone who believed in me. In addition, it is a gold medal for those who said, "A medal will be too much." In the end, those words became a force to prove me," he added.
The International Skating Union (ISU) said, "Lolobrida has shown the world that 'everything is possible'." "It was a great night for Rolobrida, who won the gold medal on his birthday with a new Olympic record," TNT Sports said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
