Ning claims China’s first speed skating gold at Winter Olympics
MILAN: China’s Ning Zhongyan claimed gold in the men’s 1,500 meters speed skating at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday, setting an Olympic record and delivering his country’s first speed skating medal of the Games.
Ning clocked 1:41.98 to edge out American Jordan Stolz, who took silver, and Dutchman Kjeld Nuis, who secured bronze.
The result denied Stolz a third gold after his earlier victories in the 500m and 1,000m.
In Nordic combined, Norway’s Andreas Skoglund and Jens Luraas Oftebro won the team sprint gold in chaotic conditions marked by heavy snow and multiple crashes.
They edged Finland by a ski’s length in a dramatic finish, with Austria claiming bronze. Oftebro completed a remarkable hat-trick of golds at these Games.
Germany’s Vinzenz Geiger crashed late, taking Japan’s Ryota Yamamoto down and ending both teams’ medal hopes. Austria’s Stefan Rettenegger also fell near the end, opening the door for the Norway-Finland duel.
“It was a dream to win an individual gold and also the team gold. But to take three golds, that’s way more than I could ever dream of,” Oftebro said.
Switzerland captured bronze in women’s ice hockey with a 2-1 overtime win over Sweden at Santagiulia Arena. Alina Muller scored the winner with 50 seconds left in the extra session, echoing her game-winning goal against Sweden for bronze in 2014.
Mira Jungaker put Sweden ahead in the second period, but Sinja Leemann equalised for Switzerland shortly after. The Swiss, outshot 31-17 in regulation, showed resilience in overtime.
In the debut of ski mountaineering (SkiMo), Spain’s Oriol Cardona Coll won the men’s sprint gold, ending a 54-year wait for a Spanish Winter Olympics gold since Francisco Fernandez Ochoa’s alpine victory in 1972.
He dominated the final in a snowstorm, beating neutral athlete Nikita Filippov (competing without flag or anthem due to sanctions) and France’s Thibault Anselmet.
Switzerland’s Marianne Fatton took the women’s sprint gold, upsetting four-time world champion Emily Harrop of France, who settled for silver. Ana Alonso Rodriguez earned Spain’s first medal of the Games with bronze in the women’s event.
The sprint format featured intense head-to-head battles: a steep climb with skins, a bootpack up stairs carrying skis, transitions, and a slalom descent. Transitions proved decisive, with Harrop losing time on ski changes.
“The feeling is amazing. I’ve been dreaming about winning the race a lot of times and finally the dream has come true,” Cardona Coll said. “It means a lot for us as a country.”
In men’s curling, Norway defeated Canada 8-6 to secure a semi-final spot and third place in round-robin standings, setting up a rematch with Canada. Switzerland finished undefeated (9-0) after beating host Italy 9-5, earning a semi-final against Britain, who advanced with favorable results.
Britain’s Bruce Mouat bounced back from earlier losses, while Italy’s Amos Mosaner lamented missed chances after their defeat.
Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2026
