Italian all-time Winter Olympic
women's medal record holder Arianna Fontana will represent
Europe at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics at
the Bird's Nest on Sunday, Italian Olympic Committee (CONI)
President Giovanni Malagò said Thursday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has chosen five
athletes as a symbol of each continent and chose Fontana to
represent Europe, he said.
"Arianna is enthusiastic about this. It's proof of her
greatness," said Malagò.
The speed skater became the most successful Italian woman in the
history of the Winter Olympics when she won silver in the 1,500
metres short-track event at Beijing 2022.
She now has 11 Olympic medals, one more than cross-country skier
Stefania Belmondo.
She took second, coming ahead of Dutchwoman Suzanne Schulting in
a photo-finish in a race won by South Korea's Choi Min-jeong.
It is her third medal at the current games after she won gold in
her strongest event, the 500 metre short track, and helped Italy
win silver in the mixed 2000 metre short track relay.
Fontana said she had been "attacked" by a member of the men's
relay team that won bronze Wednesday and said she would not
forget it.
The 31-year-old from Sondrio also said it would be "hard" to get
to the next Games at Milan-Cortina if she was forced to train
within the federation's framework., rather than with her husband
at Sondrio and in Florida.
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