Lisa Vittozzi secures Italy's first Olympic gold medal in biathlon with pursuit win

ANTERSELVA, Italy (AP) — Lisa Vittozzi secured Italy's first Olympic gold medal in biathlon, hitting all 20 targets in the 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Sunday.

Vittozzi bowed, pumped her arms and collapsed in the snow after crossing the finish line with a time of 30 minutes, 11.8 seconds to the roar of a crowd of 20,000 fans.

Maren Kirkeeide of Norway missed three targets but trailed by just 28.8 seconds for silver. Suvi Minkkinen of Finland cleared all 20 targets and came in 34.3 seconds back for bronze.

Vittozzi overcame a back injury from last season and periods of inconsistent shooting to become an Olympic champion.

“It’s amazing to win here in front of my family and friends,” she said. "It was my dream, and now I have the gold medal. I will need some time to realize what I have done today. I am very happy. I am enjoying this moment, because I will remember it forever.”

Vittozzi was on the Italian team, with Tommaso Giacomel, Lukas Hofer and Dorothea Wierer, that won silver in the mixed relay a week ago.

Wierer started the pursuit race in 44th place, 2:12 back having missed three targets in Saturday’s sprint race. She only missed one shot in the pursuit and finished ninth, 1:30 back.

Kirkeeide said winning a second Olympic medal was amazing, and it was "really fun to be able to race here and to be fighting for the top spot.”

“The last shooting was really hard for me," she said. "My legs were shaking, but I tried my best, and on the last lap, I tried to push with everything I had to be able to earn a medal.”

The last shooting stage was difficult — she missed two under great pressure, she said.

“Mostly the fact that I was shooting for a gold medal," she said. "You really want to hit all the targets. Sometimes it’s not so easy.”

Minkkinen said her goal for these Games was to win a medal.

“At the same time it's only three athletes who get it," she said. "Then I just try to focus on doing the race I can be happy with myself afterward. Today I was able to do a perfect race so it’s an amazing feeling to really get the medal here.”

The pursuit was the first race that France did not have a biathlete on the podium.

French biathletes Oceane Michelon and Lou Jeanmonnot started second and third, respectively, but too many misses knocked them out of contention. Jeanmonnot missed three and finished fourth, 49.4 seconds back, while Michelon missed four, which set her 57.1 seconds behind Vittozzi for fifth place.

The pursuit biathlon start list is based on how the racers finished in the sprint race. Biathletes must ski a 150-meter penalty lap for each missed target.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

CORRECTS BYLINE: Gold medalist Lisa Vittozzi, of Italy, poses with teammates after the women's 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Suvi Minkkinen, of Finland, competes during the women's 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Maren Kirkeeide, of Norway, reacts after winning a silver medal in the women's 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Lisa Vittozzi, of Italy, bows as she wins gold during the women's 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Lisa Vittozzi, of Italy, reacts after crossing the finish line to win gold during the women's 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

The Las Vegas Aces are set to run it back with the core group that helped them win the WNBA championship last year — the franchise's third in four seasons.

The Aces have agreed to deals with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Jewell Loyd is finalizing a deal, according to a different person familiar with the situation.

All three people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about the signings until the deals become official. None of the deals can be signed until Saturday.

The trio are free agents, along with four-time league MVP A'ja Wilson, who has said she planned on returning to the Aces.

ESPN was the first to report the deals.

Gray and Young have been there for the entire run of success by the Aces since they won their first championship in 2022. Gray, who has won four titles in her career — including one in Los Angeles — averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the Aces last year while playing in all 44 regular-season games. She was limited to 27 games a year earlier because of injuries.

Young averaged 16.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds for the Aces last season. Las Vegas selected her with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft.

Loyd was acquired in a trade from Seattle before last season and was a key part of Las Vegas' championship run. She averaged 11.2 points and came off the bench for the first time in her career. She helped Seattle win titles in 2018 and 2020. The six-time All-Star led the league in scoring in 2023.

This has been a busy offseason since the league and the players' union signed a transformational labor deal that saw average salaries rise nearly fourfold. Players can earn over $1 million annually for the first time in league history, which is more than four times the previous maximum salary. More than 80% of players in the league are free agents.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

FILE - Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) and guard Jackie Young (0) look on during the second half of Game 4 of a WNBA basketball playoff semifinal against the Seattle Storm, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)