Italy’s 25th medal (nine gold, four silver and 12 bronze) at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games has come from cross-country skiing. On the Lago di Tesero course in Val di Fiemme, three days after the third-place finish in the 4x7.5 km relay (C/F), Elia Barp and Federico Pellegrino secured another bronze in the team sprint in free technique — a discipline officially introduced into the Olympic programme only from Torino 2006 onwards, and one in which Italy had never previously reached the podium, either in the men’s or the women’s event.

It marks a second team celebration at these home Games for Barp and Pellegrino (photo Gianpaolo Piazzi/CONI), with Pellegrino having been one of Italy’s two flag bearers at the Opening Ceremony at San Siro Stadium and competing in what is his fourth and final Olympic appearance. The legend from Nus has now signed off on a quartet of Olympic medals, having arrived at Milano Cortina 2026 already boasting two individual silver medals, won respectively at PyeongChang 2018 (classic sprint) and Beijing 2022 (free sprint).

The well-established Italian duo, lining up for this race on the back of two second-place finishes this season at the Swiss World Cup stages in Davos (12 December 2025) and Goms (23 January 2026), immediately displayed their strong affinity with the Dolomite course, posting the third-fastest time in qualifying (5:49.10) and comfortably securing their place in the 15-team final.

Everything was decided in a gripping sixth and final leg. Once again it was Norway’s unbeatable pairing of Einar Hedegart and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo who raised their arms in triumph (gold in 18:28.9), crossing the line ahead of the United States’ Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher (silver at +1.4) and Italy (third at +3.3). It was a stirring performance from Pellegrino, who until the final metres of the home straight attempted — unsuccessfully — to challenge the American duo for second place, before defending Italy’s position on the podium with grit and determination against the late charge of Switzerland’s Janik Riebli and Valerio Grond (fourth at +4.3). (agc)