Can you believe we're only a year away from doing this whole Olympic thing again? There was only six months between the end of the Tokyo Summer Games and the start of the Beijing Winter Games, which not only felt way too close, it felt like it wasn't nearly enough time, and the 2022 Olympics suffered as a result. Now, we're back to normal, with a year and a half between the Olympics in Paris and Milan, which allows for the proper amount of excitement and anticipation heading into the Winter Games.
It'll also be great to have a Winter Olympics that feels "normal" after the Games set up shop in Asia for a little while. Not so in 2026, though. The Winter Games will be spread throughout Northern Italy, a classic setting with a breathtaking Alpine backdrop. The Winter Olympics are headed back to Italy a mere 20 years after the 2006 Games in Torino.
At those 2006 Olympics, cross country skier Stefania Belmondo, a 10-time medalist and native of the region, was given the honor of lighting the cauldron. It seems unlikely that she'll do it again next year in Milan. Simply because Italy has such a rich Winter Olympic history (even within the past 20 years), that there's no shortage of candidates. Such as...
Gianluigi Buffon: No, he isn't an Italian Winter Olympian. But, with the Opening Ceremony being held in the home stadium of both AC Milan and Inter Milan, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a member of Italy's beloved "Azzuri" involved. And who better than the goalkeeper who led them to a fourth World Cup trophy a few months after Italy last hosted the Winter Olympics?
Sofia Goggia: Sofia Goggia was involved in Milan-Cortina's final presentation to the IOC, and she's from Lombardy, where the alpine skiing events will take place. She's won a downhill medal at each of the past two Olympics. Her gold in PyeongChang was Italy's first-ever in the event. Then in Beijing, Goggia rallied to take silver three weeks after tearing her ACL.
Barbara Fusar-Poli & Maurizio Margaglio: The ice dancers won a World Championship and an European Championship, and they represented Italy at three Olympics. They retired after winning bronze in Salt Lake City, but returned for their home Olympics four years later...and were in the lead after the compulsory dance. Fusar-Poli & Margaglio ended up finishing sixth in what would end up being their final international competition before turning to coaching.
Enrico Fabris: Without question, one of the hometown stars at the Torino Olympics was Enrico Fabris. He won bronze in the 5000 meters, Italy's first-ever speed skating medal, then led the Italians to their first-ever speed skating gold in the team pursuit. Fabris added an individual gold in the 1500 meters, making him one of the most decorated athletes in 2006.
Carolina Kostner: Kostner's Olympic career spanned four Games. Her only medal was a bronze in 2014. But her list of accolades is much longer than that. Kostner was the 2012 World Champion and six-time World medalist. She also won 11 medals at the European Championships, including five gold. A month after the 2018 Olympics, Kostner finished her competitive career by finishing fourth at the World Championships...in Milan.
Giorgio Di Centa: One of the signature moments of the Torino Games was Italy's victory in the men's cross country relay. That star-studded relay team featured three individual Olympic medalists. Giorgio Di Centa skied the leadoff leg on the relay, then added a second gold in the 50 kilometer freestyle, which he won by 0.8 seconds (the closest finish in the event in Olympic history). He was presented with his medal at the Closing Ceremony...by his sister, seven-time Olympic medalist Manuela.
Stefani Constantini & Amos Mosaner: In the 2022 mixed doubles curling tournament, Constantini & Mosaner came seemingly out of nowhere to go 9-0 in round robin play, a full three wins better than anybody else. They then beat Sweden in the semis and Norway in the final to finish the tournament a perfect 11-0 and win Italy's first-ever Olympic curling medal. Constantini is now the skip of the Italian women's team, which won silver at the 2023 European Championships.
Gerda Weissensteiner: Weissensteiner competed at six Winter Olympics from 1988-2006, first in luge, then in bobsled. As a luger, she won gold in 1994. She converted to bobsled in 2002 and capped her career with a bronze at her home Games four years later. With that bronze, Weissensteiner became the first Italian Olympian to medal in two different sports.
While I think some (or all) of those athletes will be involved in the final stages of the Olympic Torch Relay, I don't see any of them actually lighting the cauldron. Because two Italian winter sports legends stand above the rest, and it would be a shock to see anybody else being given the honor. And, since the new Olympic tradition is to have a man and a woman do it together, I'll say they'll both get the nod. Lighting the Olympic cauldron in Milan on February 6, 2026 will be...
Arianna Fontana: Fontana is the most decorated short track speed skater and the most decorated Italian woman in Olympic history. She has 11 career Olympic medals, including at least one at every distance. Fontana has medaled in the 500 meters at the last four Winter Games, and is the two-time defending champion in the event. She also has four silver and five bronze on an Olympic resume that began in Torino when she was just 15 (and won a bronze in the relay to become Italy's youngest Winter Olympic medalist).
Armin Zoeggler: Sharing the honors with Fontana will be Armin Zoeggler, who has his own place in Olympic history. He competed in luge at six Winter Games from 1994-2014...and won a medal in every one of them. Zoeggler is the only athlete in Olympic history (Summer or Winter) to medal in the same individual event at six consecutive Games. That includes back-to-back golds in Salt Lake City and Torino. He capped his brilliant career with a bronze in Sochi, the record sixth straight medal.
No comments:
Post a Comment