Milan, Feb. 10 (LaPresse) – "Just this morning I thought that 20 years ago I did my first Olympics in Turin; I never imagined I would still be here today." This is what Arianna Fontana said after winning the gold medal in the mixed short track relay at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. For the Italian athlete, it is her 12th Olympic medal in her career, a record. "Winning an Olympic medal is always exciting and always beautiful. Certainly, there are many wonderful emotions. Here at home, on the first day, to start like this—there was no better way to begin," added the 35-year-old champion.
As captain, did she say anything to the team? "Actually, Nadalini surprised us all. Before entering, he said that this is our home, we are here to defend it. In fact, when we enter, we touch our hand to our chest, on the tricolor, and make a mark on the ice to show this is our home," Fontana said, still satisfied.
"The finish with Sighel upside down? It was necessary because, in the end, it was the right thing to do. We are at home, we won gold in front of the home crowd, in front of our families, in front of our friends, and it was right to celebrate this way," Fontana added.
"The Mangiarotti record? I’m not thinking about that now; I’m focused on the next races, and then we’ll see what happens at the end," concluded the Italian athlete.
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