Ariana Fontana: Italian phenomenon wins 13th Olympic medal in speed skating

While she was an unknown teenager in Turin, she became one of the faces of this year’s Games 20 years later. Fontana carried the Italian flag at the opening ceremony in San Siro, and led his country’s national team while tens of thousands of his compatriots cheered in the crowd.

This was the second time Fontana was honored as the flag bearer at the opening ceremony, having also carried the flag at Pyeongchang 2018.

As for how she has continued to win Olympic medals and maintain her place at the top of speedskating since before Instagram was invented, Fontana says it comes down to loving the sport — and loving herself.

“I have experience, but I have the same drive as I did when I was 15. I never got on the ice just to show off,” she added.

“Over time, I’ve been able to understand my body and my mental fitness – I’ve taken more time out of racing, more breaks, because it can be tough mentally.

“Elite athletes, we put pressure on ourselves easily, we have high expectations and it can be tough mentally.”

She needed that mental fortitude in the lead-up to the Games, as a series of injuries – including a hip problem in October – hampered her preparations.

That scrapped Fontana’s plan to also enter long track events, forcing her to focus on her signature shorter disciplines.

She made this decision with her coach and husband, Anthony Lobello, after spending four years traveling around the world to participate in various competitions.

“We understand each other, and he understands exactly what I need,” Fontana said. “We try not to talk about work at home.”