Milano Cortina Olympics: speed skating (08-02-2026)

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Compared to yesterday, there are more people. There are queues at both the first security check and the ticket check: nothing dramatic, we're talking about 5 minutes, but yesterday it was instantaneous. We enter: my block would be the second one after the entrance, but I have to detour to go to the toilet. I would also get something to drink, but there is too long a queue. 

I arrive at the stands with about ten minutes to spare and I still see plenty of empty seats, even in my row. People keep coming in, even after the event has started: by the third heat, it’s almost full. As expected (I’d seen it in Turin ), entering the arena feels like crossing a virtual border and stepping into Dutch territory: you see orange everywhere. When the announcer asks people to wave their flags, besides the Dutch and Italian ones, you’ll spot a few Norwegian, one American and one Japanese. Then, when it’s their athletes’ turn, the Czech, French and Canadian flags also appear. For a long time, I thought only the Dutch were in my row, but by the final heat I discovered there was also a Frenchman.

I’m at the start of the second bend: I can see the start clearly. Except for the initial acceleration, it looks as if they’re strolling, not making the slightest effort, but then you realise just how fast they’re going when you try to take a photo. On my side, there’s also the lane change and I wonder how they always remember which side to go to: in the gym, I always lose count of my sets! Of course, this applies both to the skater and to the coach assisting them, and I remember the mistake in the 10,000 metres in Turin.

The first heat is won easily by a German over a Dutchman, the second by a Dutchman, who takes the lead, over a Norwegian, who remains last: the majority of the crowd (I'm tempted tpo say “the home crowd”) begin to get excited. We get to the third heat, with the Italian Lorello, on paper the least favoured, against the Norwegian Kongshaug. The announcer highlights that Lorello is a home athlete, he lives in Rho. After two one-sided heats, this one is fought: neck and neck for the first two kilometres, in the middle section the Norwegian gains a small advantage, but then the Italian catches up and in the last three laps breaks away and wins by 1.72 seconds, applauded not only by the Italians, but also by the Dutch. They’re in the top two spots, but it’s only the third heat, so I don’t think they’ll stay there for long, even though the announcer reminds us Lorello’s time is close to the Olympic record. Meanwhile, the skaters in the fourth and fifth heats are well behind, and in fact, they’ll all finish in the last six places.

We get to the halfway break: I’d like to get a drink, but the queues everywhere are so long that I wouldn’t make it back in time for the restart. I give it a go, but after a while I realise I’m cutting it too fine, and in fact, I come back just as the sixth heat hits the 600-metre mark. There’s a Dutchman and an Austrian competing: both remain behind Lorello, then the Dutchman pulls away and with 3–4 laps to go seems to be catching up with the Italian, but then drops back again and stays third. Then it’s the other Italian, Malfatti, who wins his heat, but stays well behind the leaders.

It’s time for Ghiotto’s heat, but I risk missing the start because of an argument about seats, with my former neighbour calling me as a witness. For once, I wasn’t in the wrong seat (the argument wasn’t about mine, but if my ex-neighbour had been right, it would have meant I was in the wrong too): the issue was that the rows, for some reason, started at number 2, so he thought it was row 3 because it was physically the third, but the steps were marked as row 4. In any case, they start, with Ghiotto ahead of Lorello for a while, but during the time he wasn’t leading, then with two laps to go he’s in front, with one lap to go he’s close and likewise at the finish: he’s second by 0.35 seconds, his opponent, an American, finishes two seconds back and is fifth. There are still four left to go, but at the moment it’s a one-two for Italy.

Ninth heat between the Norwegian Eitrem and the Czech Jilek. After just a kilometre, the former is well ahead of both his opponent and Lorello. After a while, it’s clear both will finish ahead of the Italian: Eitrem by more than five seconds, Jilek by nearly three. Huge enthusiasm from the Norwegians, especially one dressed in a collage of flags, but the Czechs make themselves heard too. The Italian is third, and at this point I fear the medal has slipped away, but it seems unlikely that both in the last heat will stay behind. Yet, as the laps go by, both the Frenchman Lobineaud and the Canadian Bloemen stay behind: with 3–4 laps to go, the Canadian is out of contention, the Frenchman could still catch up if he keeps up with Lorello’s times. With two laps to go, I reckon he could still catch up with an exceptional time, but by the last lap I realise it’s impossible, and at the end of the final bend, I know it’s done.

Lorello gets a medal: I’ve just witnessed the first of the five Italian medals I might hope to see, even if not with the athlete I expected. Only the fact that no one’s leaving reminds me there’s a medal ceremony: after the era of the medal plaza, I’m not used to it anymore. In reality, not everyone waits for it, especially among the Dutch. When it starts, it takes me a while to realise that the podium is not near the flags, for once physical ones.

We leave by a different door than we entered and for a while stay on the lower floor compared to the walkway at the entrance: you see some historic photos of the Milan Fair. You also start to see the Finns heading to the women’s ice hockey match that evening (against the Czech Republic). Tomorrow, more hockey, but this time in Santa Giulia.