Italy's Lollobrigida clinches first gold as Milan-Cortina opens medals

On day one of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, Francesca Lollobrigida delivered Italy’s first gold and an Olympic record in the 3,000m speed skating on her 35th birthday; Ilia Malinin thrilled in the figure skating team event but finished second in the short program to Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, while Lindsey Vonn prepared for her downhill medal run. The Games also saw Franjo von Allmen claim Switzerland’s first gold in men’s downhill, Sweden’s Frida Karlsson win the first female cross-country gold, and the U.S. women’s hockey team rout Finland 5-0, with Ollie Martin finishing fourth in big air, all amid a packed schedule of medal events.