Ice, Lollobrigida Mass Start World Cup

The icing on the cake to a season to be framed, complete with a silver and an Olympic bronze. Francesca Lollobrigida, at the World Cup finals of long track speed skating in the mecca of Heerenveen, in the Netherlands, is third in the Mass Start behind the orange Irene Schouten and Marjke Groenewoud. Just enough, conquering 144 points, to reach 602 in a ranking that also takes into account the semifinals, overtake the Canadian Ivanie Blondin (578), on the fourth occasion and conquer, for the third time in his career, the specialty title. All thanks to a decisive comeback overtaking in the last meters of the race. For the 31-year-old from Rome, in the four seasonal Mass Starts of the Cup, a first, two thirds and a fifth place arrived. Past triumphs dated back to 2013-2014 and 2017-2018, Olympic seasons like this probably not by chance. For Lollo, in Heerenveen, also fourth place in the 3000 disputed shortly before (4’00 “96) behind the usual Schouten, the Norwegian Ragne Wiklund and the Czech Martina Sablikova and, with 266 points, the third in the long distance ranking (together with 5000) after Schouten (300) and Wiklund (290).

Well done Giovannini

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After the third and fourth place on Saturday in the 5000 by Davide Ghiotto and Michele Malfatti, with the second Olympic bronze in a specialty cup that includes the 10,000, redemption also for Andrea Giovannini, second in the Mass Start, beaten only by the Belgian Olympian Bart Swings. The 28-year-old from Trentino had been missing from the Cup podium for over three years. The two thus end up in order also in the specialty ranking (652 to 550). For the national team led by dt Maurizio Marchetto, the best possible conclusion to a year to remember. With the viewfinder now focused on Milan-Cortina 2026.