The speed skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics got off to the hottest of starts.

Italian Francesca Lollobrigida took home the first speed skating gold of the 2026 Winter Olympics in a surprisingly-dominant performance, skating the 3000m in Olympic record time in front of a roaring home crowd on her 35th birthday. The four-time Olympian posted a final time of 3 minutes, 54.28 seconds, shaving over two-and-a-half seconds off the mark Dutch legend Irene Schouten set four years earlier in Beijing (3:56.93).

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A skater known for her aggressive style, Lollobrigida entered the competition as the 9th-best women's long distance skater in the world. She spent part of the season battling a viral infection, finding her previous best finish in the 3000m (4th) at the 2025-26 Speed Skating World Cup opener in November.

She remained composed throughout the duration of the event, battling Canada's Valarie Maltais in a race that was neck-and-neck through the finish line. Her final time was over two faster than 2nd-place finisher Ragne Wiklund's (3:56.540). Maltais rounded out the podium in 3rd.

"Seriously, this one is for everyone who believed in me. But also for the people who said, 'No, maybe she can't do it,'" Lollobrigida told the media after her race Saturday. "They gave me the power to prove myself." 

With the win, Lollobrigida becomes the first Italian woman to clinch Olympic speed skating gold and the first Italian athlete to win gold at the 2026 Olympics. The last time an Italian man won speed skating gold was in 2006, when Italy last hosted the Olympics. There, Italian men won the 1500m and the team pursuit.

In Beijing, Lollobrigida earned silver in the 300m and bronze in the mass start.

Nearly as soon as the final pair concluded, Lollobrigida tore away from the ice and down the tunnels of the Milano Speed Skating Stadium, looking for her son, Tommaso. 

After the Beijing Games, she took a break from the sport, missing the entire 2022-23 season in order to start her family. She returned to competition in September 2023, just four months after giving birth. Eighteen months later, she claimed the 2025 world title in the 5000m.

"The message I wanted to show is that I didn't choose between skating and being a mum. I stopped after my medal in Beijing. I was on the top of the world," Lollobrigida said. "I am really proud of myself that I came back."

A former world champion in the distance, Wiklund entered Olympic competition on a high. She took gold in both the 1500m and 3000m at the 2026 European Championships and won the race at the final World Cup stop Jan. 24. With five podium finishes in five long distance races this World Cup season, Wiklund is the world's top-ranked long distance skater. 

With her silver, she became the first Norwegian woman to make an Olympic speed skating podium since Bjørg Eva Jensen won the 3000m in 1980.

For Maltais, a former short track skater, the podium finish marked her first individual Olympic medal in either sport. She helped Canada to 3000m relay silver (short track) in 2014 and team pursuit gold (speed skating) in 2022. She is one of only four athletes to make an Olympic podium in both speed skating and short track.

Dutch skater Joy Beune, the reigning world champion in the distance and a medal favorite heading into the Olympics, finished just off the podium in 4th. Dutch women had won the last three-straight Olympic 3000m competitions.

A last-minute addition to the race following Czechian skater Martina Sablikova’s withdrawal, American Greta Myers finished 20th. The 21-year-old did not initially qualify for the event but secured the first reserve quota spot with her performances on the 2025-26 World Cup circuit. 

Competition continues Sunday, Feb. 8 with the men's 5000m. Skaters are scheduled to take the ice at 10 a.m. EST.