From the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics to the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, one way. The career of skater Arianna Fontana is a contemporary fairy tale, a common thread that has united generations through records and memories in a sport, short track, in which speed and balance, physical and mental, are fundamental. Both in individual competitions and in relays, from 15 to 35 years old, the ice queen won everything that could be won under the aegis of the five circles. Let’s review the Olympic records that the skater born in 1990 from Sondrio can boast, who in the last race on Friday 20 February did not rule out her participation in the 2030 Olympics.
All Arianna Fontana’s Olympic medals: 6 consecutive editions
Arianna has never “failed” an Olympics: there are six consecutive editions of the Winter Games with at least one medal (more than two in the last four). No Italian woman had ever achieved this and in general, among her compatriots, only Armin Zöggeler can boast a similar record in luge. The record can also be extended to the Summer Olympics, given that Mangiarotti, Vezzali and Trillini (fencing) achieved five consecutive world championships.
The Italian was the oldest skater in the short track in Milan-Cortina, at home for two weeks at the Assago Forum. “Being here is a great achievement, being competitive at 35 against someone ten years younger makes me understand that all the decisions made in recent years have borne fruit” he said. The average age of her rivals, who consider her a living example and never forget to mention her in interviews as a source of inspiration for their careers, was 24.8 years. Incredible to think that Arianna was 15 years and 314 days old when she stood on her first Olympic podium at the Lingotto Oval in Turin. A legendary athlete.
The most medal-winning Italian athlete ever at the Olympics: surpassed Mangiarotti
With silver in the 3000 meter relay, Arianna won the 14th medal of her career, becoming the most medaled Italian athlete ever (including the Summer Games), surpassing the fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti (13, collected between Berlin 1936 and Rome 1960, dated 66 years ago!!!). Furthermore, with three gold medals at the Winter Games, the short track star has equaled Alberto Tomba and Deborah Compagnoni in the ranking of Italian athletes with the most triumphs at the Winter Olympics.
In the Olympus of winter sports, absolute queen of ice
But there’s more: Fontana also occupies second position in terms of number of medals won at the Winter Olympic Games, which arrived in Milan-Cortina at the XXV edition. There is only one thing in front of her Marit Bjørgen (15, cross-country) and paired Ole Einar Bjørndalen (14, biathlon), both of whom retired in 2018. Among ice sports he is therefore the absolute record holder and who knows if in the future he might also put the latest record on the board, becoming the most world champion athlete ever. At the 2030 Olympics, scheduled for the French Alps, she will be 39 years old, but nothing is impossible when your name is Arianna Fontana…
