Italy makes history at the Winter Olympics during the competitions in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Thanks to the silver medal won by the pair Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva in the mixed team snowboard cross, the host nation has secured its 21st medal. This surpasses the historic record of 20 medals set at the 1994 Lillehammer Games. For Moioli herself, this is another success after the individual bronze she won earlier.

Historic record for the team

Italy won its 21st medal at the Winter Games, breaking the record from 1994, which stood at 20 medals.

Silver duo in Livigno

Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva won silver in snowboard cross, losing only to Great Britain.

Third career medal for Moioli

The Italian snowboarder cemented her star status by securing her third consecutive Olympic podium.

Sunday's competitions in Livigno brought a historic breakthrough for Italian sport. The team of Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva won the silver medal in the spectacular mixed team snowboard cross event. Italy only lost to the teams from Great Britain and France, repeating their success from the previous Olympics in Beijing 2022. The key moment of the final was Moioli's phenomenal comeback, which made up for a deficit and secured a podium place for her team. This victory has symbolic significance for the entire country, as it is the 21st medal won by Italy at the ongoing Milano-Cortina 2026 event. This result officially erases the record from Lillehammer 1994, where Italian athletes won 20 medals. That record stood for 32 years before being broken in front of the home crowd. Sports media have dubbed Michela Moioli the "bronze phoenix," alluding to her difficult path to success, which involved a painful training accident and hospitalization for a facial injury. The 1994 Lillehammer Games were until now considered the gold standard of Italian winter sports, mainly due to dominance in cross-country skiing and luge.29 years — Italy waited to break the medal recordMichela Moioli, hailing from the province of Bergamo, becomes one of the most decorated athletes in the history of Italian snowboarding. In her career, she has already completed the full set of Olympic metals: gold from PyeongChang, silver from Beijing (and now from Milan in the team event), and the recently won individual bronze. The athlete herself emphasized in interviews how much effort it took her to return to full strength after the traumatic accident just before the start. „This medal is the color of my wounds, but I proved I never give up.” — Michela Moioli The success in Livigno strengthens Italy's position in the medal table and crowns a Sunday full of successes for the Games' hosts. Lillehammer 1994: 20, Nagano 1998: 10, Salt Lake City 2002: 13, Turin 2006: 11, Vancouver 2010: 5, Sochi 2014: 8, PyeongChang 2018: 10, Beijing 2022: 17, Milano-Cortina 2026: 21[{"position": 1, "country": "Great Britain", "info": "Gold", "result": "1st place"}, {"position": 2, "country": "Italy", "info": "Moioli/Sommariva", "result": "Silver"}, {"position": 3, "country": "France", "info": "Bronze", "result": "3rd place"}]

Mentioned People

  • Michela Moioli — Italian snowboarding champion, multiple Olympic medalist, key figure in the 2026 success.
  • Lorenzo Sommariva — Italian snowboarder, Moioli's partner in the silver medal team race.