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.
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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)
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)
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Federica Brignone was taking in the magnitude of winning a second gold of her home Winter Olympics when the two silver-medalists approached the Italian skiing star in the finish area, dropped to their knees and bowed toward her.
Call her the Queen of the Dolomites.
The 35-year-old Brignone couldn’t walk for three months early last year. Now she is a double Olympic champion after winning the giant slalom with some ease on Sunday, barely 72 hours after powering to a super-G title that she felt was like something out of a Hollywood movie.
She delivered quite the sequel, taking a lead of 0.34 seconds after the first run and then putting in a clean second run in gorgeous conditions amid the jagged peaks of the Dolomite mountains above Cortina.
Brignone finished 0.62 seconds ahead of defending champion Sara Hector of Sweden and Thea Louise Stjernesund of Norway, who shared the silver medal.
“I was almost too calm," Brignone said, "... I thought I had a so-so run and when I reached the finish and saw that I was first, I just heard screams and it was just crazy.”
Her beaten rivals — and they included U.S. standout Mikaela Shiffrin, who finished down in 11th place — were in awe.
“That was, like, the greatest show of GS skiing that we’ve had in a really long time,” Shiffrin said. “And to do it, you know, at the Olympics where people actually have eyes on the sport. Federica skied incredible. That was so cool to watch.”
It wasn't so joyous for Shiffrin.
The American didn't quite have the speed of Brignone or a number of her rivals in either run on a fairly flat course set by her own head coach, Karin Harjo, and ended 0.92 seconds off the lead. She has now failed to win a medal in eight straight Olympic races since the Winter Games in 2018.
Finishing just 0.30 seconds off second place suggested, however, there might be more to come from Shiffrin and redemption for perhaps the greatest ever Alpine skier might arrive in her best event — the slalom — on Wednesday.
“To be here now, like, within touch of the fastest women, that’s huge for me,” Shiffrin said. “So I’m proud of that.”
Indeed, Shiffrin smiled and waved to the fans in the grandstand with both hands after her second run when she already knew she’d be out of the medals, not showing any outward signs of disappointment.
By that time, the locals were waiting for Brignone to come down the sun-kissed Olympia delle Tofane course for a second gold in four days.
She didn't disappoint.
It completes a stunning comeback for the popular Brignone, who was world champion in the GS in February last year before breaking multiple bones in her left leg in March that required surgery, a handful of screws and a metal plate to repair, and left her unable to walk until the summer. Heck, she only returned to racing barely a month ago.
A day doesn't go by when Brignone doesn't feel pain — “I would exchange my two gold medals to come back and not have this injury,” she said — yet she skied through it in a pair of runs her rivals couldn't find fault with.
“I had the suggestion that we should bow to Fede,” Stjernesund said of her post-race gesture to Brignone, “not only because of this gold she got but considering her gold in super-G, being back and being such a big part of our sport and such a big profile. It means a lot to give her that confirmation.”
Before these home Games, Brignone had a silver and two bronzes at the Olympics. Now she has the big one — twice — and the loud home crowd lapped it up, chanting ‘FE-de, FE-de, FE-de’ during the medal ceremony.
“This is better than a dream," she said. "It's unimaginable.”
This story has been corrected in the summary and third paragraph to say Brignone also won the super-G title, not the downhill.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Italy's Federica Brignone shows her gold medal in an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Bronze medalist Norway's Thea Louise Stjernesund, right, and silver medalist Sweden's Sara Hector, center, celebrate with gold medal's winner Italy's Federica Brignone, left, following an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Sweden's Sara Hector, right, and Norway's Thea Louise Stjernesund bow to Italy's Federica Brignone, center, at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Italy's Sofia Goggia speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course, during an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Italy's Federica Brignone at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Italy's Federica Brignone competes during an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
