MILAN: Evergreen Italian Federica Brignone won a glorious second gold medal of the Milan-Cortina Games on Sunday as Mikaela Shiffrin faded, while Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Klaebo became the first Winter Olympian in history to win nine gold medals.
Brignone is fast becoming one of the outstanding storylines of these Games as the 35-year-old skier who was on the surgeon’s table 10 months ago won her second gold in front of her home fans.
Already the winner of the super-G at these Games, Brignone clocked a combined time of 2min 13.50sec in sparkling weather in Cortina d’Ampezzo to become the first Italian woman skier to win gold in two events at the same Olympics.
In April 2025, she suffered a broken leg after crashing in a race that required extensive surgery.
Mikaela Shiffrin, the 30-year-old American who is the most successful skier in history in World Cup events, faded and could only finish 11th, continuing her fruitless Olympic run that began at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Shiffrin has one more medal chance, in the slalom on Wednesday.
Lisa Vittaozzi made the day even more delightful for the Italians as she put on a superb display of shooting to hit all 20 targets and win gold in a thrilling women’s 10km biathlon pursuit race, sending home fans into ecstasy at the Antholz-Anterselva arena.
Vittozzi shot clean under enormous pressure to win by a margin of 28.8 seconds over Norway’s Maren Kirkeeide who stormed back from two late misses to secure silver. Suvi Minkkinen of Finland took bronze.
“I’m so happy. What I’ve done today, I’m really proud of myself, I had goosebumps in the last few kilometres. It was a dream come true,” a delighted Vittozzi told Italian TV.
“I didn’t think today that I would reach the gold medal because the level of the women is really high, but I really did a good job at the range and I’m very happy. I was very calm, I tried to work well and I hit all the targets so I’m very happy.”
In Tesero, Klaebo led home the Norwegian 4x7.5 kilometre relay team to win the ninth gold medal of his career, more than any man or woman has ever achieved in the Winter Olympics.
It was also his fourth gold medal of these Games and he has two more events still to come.
The Norwegian quartet were so far ahead that Klaebo was able to wave to the crowd with his ski poles in the home straight before he was greeted by his celebrating team-mates.
The 29-year-old overtakes two of his compatriots who have won eight golds at Winter Olympics — former cross-country skiers Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie, and former biathlete Ole Einar Bjoerndalen.
Canada’s “King of the Moguls” Mikael Kingsbury signed off his Olympic career in style, winning the men’s dual moguls to collect his fifth medal at a Winter Games.
The 33-year-old fell marginally behind Ikuma Horishima early in the super final in Livigno but his Japanese opponent lost control, flying over the second jump with no tricks to cross the line first.
Kingsbury, who took silver in the individual event earlier in the Milan-Cortina Games, kept his cool to become the first-ever winner of the men’s dual moguls — the discipline is making its Olympic debut in Italy.
Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2026