MILAN, Italy — Francesca Lollobrigida powered to victory in the women’s 3,000 meters speed skating on Saturday, bringing Italy its first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games and ending Dutch dominance marked by three straight Olympic titles at the distance.

Norway’s Ragne Wiklund and Canada’s Valerie Maltais joined her on the podium as the speed skating program got under way at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.

Lollobrigida tore around the oval to smash the Olympic record, stopping the clock at three minutes and 54.28 seconds — 2.26 seconds clear of Wiklund — to secure Italy’s first-ever women’s speed skating Olympic title.

It was the 35-year-old’s first Olympic gold, adding to the 3,000m silver and mass start bronze she won in Beijing in 2022.

Competing in her fourth Olympics – and doing so on her birthday in front of a roaring home crowd – Lollobrigida turned the weight of expectation into fuel.

“This medal means a lot, but also a demonstration — the fact of not giving up, to start a family, to become a mother and to come back to race,” she said.

EMOTIONAL LOLLOBRIGIDA CELEBRATES WITH SON

Drawn in the eighth pair alongside Maltais and starting in the outer lane, she went toe-to-toe with the Canadian before pulling decisively ahead.

Upon realizing her triumph, an emotional Lollobrigida wrapped herself in the Italian flag and sprinted to celebrate with her two-year-old son.

The Italian – great-niece of the late film icon Gina Lollobrigida and cousin of Italy’s Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida – soaked in the moment as the stadium erupted around her.

“Being in Italy, knowing my son, my husband, my mom, my dad, my sister, all my friends were here … I was really happy,” she said.

“I did it for myself, but also for all those who have always believed in me.”

The Italian’s victory ended a formidable Dutch legacy in the 3,000m. The Netherlands famously swept the podium at PyeongChang 2018, while Irene Schouten won gold at Beijing 2022 before retiring.

In Milan, Joy Beune and Marijke Groenewoud were again seen as leading Dutch contenders to extend that dominance, as was Wiklund, but Lollobrigida had other ideas.

Beune finished fourth and Groenewoud eighth, while Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann – a triple medalist in Beijing – was fifth.

Greta Myers was the only U.S. entrant, a late addition due to an injury withdrawal, and finished 20th.

The Netherlands remains the sport’s powerhouse, with a record 48 Olympic gold medals – well clear of the U.S. (30) and Norway (28). Lollobrigida’s victory was Italy’s third Olympic gold in speed skating.

–Reuters, special to Field Level Media

Graham Ike matched his career high of 35 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help No. 6 Gonzaga bounce back from a stunning setback and post an 81-61 victory over Oregon State on Saturday in West Coast Conference play at Corvallis, Ore.

Tyon Grant-Foster added 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for the Bulldogs (23-2, 11-1 WCC), who lost 87-80 at Portland on Wednesday. That represents Gonzaga’s lone loss over the past 17 games.

Isaiah Sy scored 13 points and Dez White added 12 for the Beavers (13-13, 6-7), who had a three-game winning streak halted. Yaak Yaak had 11 points for Oregon State.

The Bulldogs outscored the Beavers 43-27 in the second half.

Gonzaga shot a solid 57.1% from the field, including 3 of 10 from 3-point range. Ike made 13 of his 18 shots while scoring 30 or more for the third time this season.

The Bulldogs committed just two turnovers and had a dominating 50-10 edge in points in the paint.

The Beavers made 44.2% of their shots and were a stellar 10 of 18 from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs led by four at halftime before quickly boosting the lead to 45-36 on a jumper by Braeden Smith with 17:28 left.

Oregon State later crept within 55-51 on a 3-pointer by Jorge Diaz Graham with 11:26 left before Gonzaga ripped off 10 straight points and 18 of the next 21.

Ike’s layup made it 65-51 with 7:55 remaining. After Josiah Lake II buried a 3-pointer for the Beavers, Davis Fogle scored on a putback, Ike converted a three-point play and Mario Saint-Supery connected on a trey to give the Zags a 73-54 advantage with 4:48 left.

Ike matched his career high with a solid inside move to lay the ball in the hoop to make it 79-61 with 1:12 left. He was then removed from the game as Gonzaga completed the victory.

Ike scored 19 first-half points, including the last four of the half, as Gonzaga led 38-34 at the break.

The Beavers were leading 20-17 before the Bulldogs rattled off seven straight to move ahead by four, after Emmanuel Innocenti’s layup with 7:46 remaining.

White buried a trey to tie it at 34 with 2:44 left before Oregon State went scoreless the rest of the half.

–Field Level Media

Nik Graves hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to lift Creighton to a 69-68 Big East win over Seton Hall on Saturday in Omaha, Neb.

The Bluejays (13-11, 7-6) trailed by 10 with 3:30 left, but went on an 8-1 run in the final 1:26.

AJ Staton-McCray turned the ball over and Fedor Zugic made it 67-66 with a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.

Trey Parker made one of two free throws with 17 seconds left to give the Pirates (16-8, 6-7) a 68-66 lead.

Jasen Green grabbed the rebound of the missed second free throw and got the ball to Graves, who nailed the game-winner from the wing.

Adam Clark scored 20 points and Staton-McCray added 11 for Seton Hall.

The game was back-and-forth until the Pirates went on a 7-0 run to take a 10-point lead with 9:27 left.

The Bluelays cut it to four with a 6-0 spurt, but the Pirates answered with another 6-0 run for a 63-53 lead with 3:30 left.

Traudt led the Bluejays with 18 points. Josh Dix added 16 and Zugic scored 13.

Graves cut the Seton Hall lead to 57-53 on a 10-foot jumper with 6:16 left.

Clark followed with a 15-footer and Tajuan Simpkins laid in two to make it 61-53 with 4:14 left.

Elijah Fisher made it 63-53 with a layup, but the Bluejays erased the lead quickly down the stretch.

The Pirates led 34-32 at halftime after the Bluejays went scoreless for the last 2:39.

Clark led the Pirates with 11 points in the first half and Stephon Payne had six of his game-high 11 rebounds.

The Bluejays had the largest lead of the half at 22-15.

Isaac Traudt led Creighton with 15 points and five rebounds.

Green gave the Bluejays a 32-30 lead with an eight-foot hook shot.

Clark gave the lead back to the Pirates with a 3-pointer with 2:10 left.

Mike Williams hit one of two free throws with 27 seconds left as the Pirates headed into the break with a two-point lead.

–Field Level Media