With 18 medals in nine days of competition, Italy is far above any expectations in the medal table: second only to Norway and after just eight days of programming it has already pulverized the spoils of Beijing 2022. An extraordinary result.

But regardless of the numbers, it is above all the quality of the podiums as well as the extraordinary nature of some feats that amaze. Because the six gold medals won at the moment bring us closer to the absolute record of Lillehammer 1994, seven gold medals compared to 20 overall podiums, going much further than Turin 2006, another home Olympics but with a considerably lower result, albeit a positive one. Italy finished ninth overall – behind Germany, the United States, Russia, Austria, Canada, Sweden, South Korea and Switzerland – all incredibly behind us at the moment, even considering Russia was absent.

Halfway from the start of the competitions, Italy is experiencing a dream Olympics. With 18 medals overall – six golds, three silvers and nine bronzes at the time of publishing – the Azzurri have already exceeded all expectations. But it is by looking at the numbers in detail that the historic significance of these home Games emerges. If we compare the percentage of gold medals won in the races held so far, Milan-Cortina 2026 ranks first overall in Italian Olympic history with 12.5% ​​gold conversion. That is, the percentage of prized medals out of the overall number of podiums.

A figure that surpasses even the legendary Lillehammer 1994 Olympics (11.5%), until today considered the pinnacle, perhaps unattainable (even after Turin), of Italian winter sport with seven gold, five silver and eight bronze for a total of 20 medals.

The surprises that no one expected

What makes this medal table even more extraordinary is the variety of disciplines that led to success. Of course, alpine skiing played its part with the bronze of Sofia Goggia and Dominik Paris in the downhill, the silver of Giovanni Franzoni and above all the liberating gold of Federica Brignone in the Super-G. But the real surprises came from less traditional disciplines for Italy.

Luge produced a historic poker: two golds in the doubles (Marion Oberhofer-Andrea Voetter for the women, Emanuel Rieder-Simon Kainzwaldner for the men), Dominik Fischnaller’s bronze in the men’s singles and that of the team relay. A real feat for a sport that until a few years ago was not among the Italians’ strong points.

Speed ​​skating made us dream with the extraordinary double of Francesca Lollobrigida, double gold in the 3000 and 5000 metres, flanked by Riccardo Lorello’s bronze in the 5000 metres. To excite in the short track, with the gold of the mixed relay (Arianna Fontana, Elisa Confortola, Pietro Sighel, Thomas Nadalini, Chiara Betti and Luca Spechenhauser) and the silver of Fontana herself in the 500 meters.

Even disciplines such as curling (bronze in the mixed doubles with Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner), figure skating (team bronze, absolutely out of the forecast) or snowboarding (bronze for Lucia Dalmasso in the parallel giant slalom and Michela Moioli in snowboard cross) contributed to an incredibly varied medal table.

The home factor (but not only)

It is undeniable that playing at home gave the Azzurri an emotional boost. The Italian representation is the widest and most varied possible with athletes present in all races. However, this does not always mean a guarantee of a medal. Just as it is true that the Italian public responded with enthusiasm: even if there is a lot to be said about an Arena Santagiulia which half was not delivered and about some locations where the Azzurri could have rehearsed, and become familiar with, and which instead arrived frighteningly late.

But people responded partly out of curiosity and partly out of affection: despite stellar prices which did not prevent – as often happens – Italians from revealing themselves to be passionate and very warm towards major events.

Suffice it to say that tens of thousands flock every evening outside the brazier set up at the Arco della Pace, in Milan, just to watch the animation of the logo. A show every hour, from 5pm to 11pm, four minutes with nose and mobile phone in the air: one of the few things granted free of charge by an Olympics that is paid for in gold everywhere. A mascot 55 euros, a sandwich and a soft drink 14 euros. With hospitality tickets from 200 euros upwards, when it’s good. And several coupons that remain silently unsold.

However, reducing everything to the home factor would be reductive. There is no doubt that the results are the result of years of investments, planning and work. Fisi (Italian Winter Sports Federation) and Fisg (Ice Sports) have worked methodically, focusing on quality youth sectors and increasingly scientific athletic training. It is no coincidence that many of the medals came from very young athletes but also from veterans who were able to reinvent themselves and who now become icons, points of reference for the future. It is estimated that behind every gold medal there are new members, very young people who are approaching specialties full of sacrifice and commitment. Economically very far from professional sports that pays more.

Comparison with the past

If it is true that today there are many more medals available than in the past (116 titles up for grabs in Milan-Cortina compared to 61 in Lillehammer 1994), thanks to the inclusion of new disciplines such as curling and snowboarding with its various freestyle drifts, it is equally true that the competition has become much more fierce. Countries such as China, South Korea and Japan have made giant strides in winter sports, moving the axis of victory away from the traditional pairing of Europe and North America.

In this context, Italy is proving to be on par with the great winter sports nations. The “reasoned” medal table, which takes into account the total number of matches available, nevertheless confirms the quality of the Italian performances: if in Lillehammer 1994 the possibilities were 61, today they are almost double, but the ability to seize opportunities remains extraordinary.

Towards the Lillehammer record

With still several days of competitions ahead, the objective is clear: to surpass the historical record of seven golds and twenty medals set in 1994, which is now just one step away. One gold and at least one other podium are enough to equal him, three to surpass him. Hopes are pinned on the races yet to be held including alpine skiing, biathlon, short track and in the final skating and sledding trials.

But beyond the numbers, what will remain of these Olympics will be the memory of an Italy capable of surprising, of athletes who have written unforgettable pages in the country’s sporting history and of a public that has been able to be the real extra weapon of the Azzurri. Milano-Cortina 2026 is not just a sporting success: it is the demonstration that when you invest with seriousness and passion, the results come. And dreaming big at the Olympics is never a gamble. Who knows… if one day we will be able to say the same thing about those who built the facilities and organized the event. Because if on the one hand the medals are the aspect that makes us most proud, on the other we cannot forget the Turin 2006 facilities that have been in disrepair for years and those of Milan which cost much more than expected and were delivered beyond all time limits.