Speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida won the first gold medal for hosts Italy at the 2026 Winter Games, setting a new Olympic record of 3 minutes 54.28 seconds in the women's 3,000 metres on Saturday.

The Italian, who was celebrating her 35th birthday, delighted the home crowd with the biggest success of her career after 3,000 metres silver and mass start bronze at Beijing 2022.

"It's the perfect day. It's incredible because we are in Italy, the Olympics are in Italy, it's the dream of my dreams," she said.

"The message I wanted to show is that I didn't choose between skating and being a mum. I stopped after my (silver) medal in Beijing (2022), I was on the top of the world. I am really proud of myself that I came back (after giving birth)."

Lollobrigida celebrated her win with her family, including her husband and their son Tommaso.

Norway's Ragne Wiklund was 2.26 seconds behind to claim silver, while Valérie Maltais of Canada took bronze.

Wiklund said: "Going into these championships, and since the last Olympics, I’ve been winning the overall long-distance World Cup every year. I deserve to be on the podium, and to go home with a little souvenir is really nice."

Ahead of her run, Lollobrigida was caught in a very relaxed moment, singing along with the fans to the famous Italian song "Nel blu, dipinto di blu" ("In the blue, painted blue") by Domenico Modugno, popularly known as "Volare" ("To fly").

While she didn't fly, she was fast enough to beat Maltais in their pairs run by a comfortable 2.65 seconds.

Wiklund came out on top in her run against Dutch Marijke Groenewoud but failed to close the gap to Lollobrigida.

The Italian could only watch as 2022 bronze winner Isabelle Weidemann of Canada took to the track against Dutch skater Joy Beune. But Lollobrigida started tearing up before the final lap, as it became clear that her time wouldn't be beaten.

There was heartbreak for Olympic champion and world record holder Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic as she was forced to withdraw from competition just a few hours before the race.

"Words can't express how painful it is for me to announce that I won't be starting the 3km race today. It is the hardest sporting decision of my life. I feel a huge sense of helplessness and disappointment. I am so sorry to everyone," she wrote on Instagram.

According to media reports, Sablikova had a fever and breathing difficulties, but that wasn't confirmed by the athlete.