Winter Olympic Games: first medal for Italy in speed skating
The first races for medals begin today: silver with Francesca Lollobrigida
With the first competitions and medals, the Beijing Winter Olympics are getting underway today.
Italy scores with silver to Francesca Lollobrigida in speed skating (3000 meters).
On the weather front, however, the problems are lurking as always happens in outdoor events and the downhillers who, due to the strong wind, were not able to carry out the third and final free practice session, were the first to pay the price. men's Olympic, in view of tomorrow's match.
Only three athletes, the blue Christof Innerhofer, the Austrian Matthias Mayer and the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, descended before the stop on the 3.1 kilometer "Rock" route at the Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Center.
The perceived temperature, due to the strong gusts of wind, has dropped to almost -29 degrees Celsius and for tomorrow the forecasts do not seem destined to improve. Therefore, the unknowns remain large.
The competitions at the shooting ranges are at risk, even at the biathlon trials, which just today opens its program with the mixed relay where the blue team is engaged. There are six titles up for grabs today and for Italy there are hopes for a podium as well as in biathlon, especially in speed skating, with Francesca Lollobrigida involved in the 3000 meters, and in the short track, even there with the mixed relay led by the pluri Olympian Arianna Fontana.
MEDALS - In women's cross-country skiing, skiathlon 15 km, on the ring of Zhangjiakou the first gold of the Games goes to the Norwegian Therese Johaug in front of the Russian Natalia Nepryaeva, silver, and the Austrian Teresa Stadlober. Behind the Italians with Martina Di Centa, grandson of art, only 36 / a in front of Anna Comarella. 41 / to Cristina Pittin and 42 / to Caterina Ganz.
(Unioneonline / ss)
