Pietro Sighel fabulous, gold and silver at the World Short Track Championships

Peter Golden Sighel

After the qualifiers and batteries held on Friday, the single-distance short-track World Championships got into full swing.

Four titles were awarded today in Seoul’s Mokdong Icerink. Both men and women skated on Korean ice to capture the 500- and 1,500-meter rainbow crowns.

It was precisely on the men’s 1,500 that the first high point came for Italy. Pietro Sighel (Fiamme Gialle) boasted a shining silver medal.

The 23-year-old from Trentino was good at climbing up positions from the tail of the pack, being preceded at the finish line only by Korea’s Park Ji-Won, a big favorite on the eve of the race, and Canada’s Steven Dubois. However, the latter was later disqualified, promoting the Italian to the place of honor.

Thanks to this prestigious result, Sighel became the fourth Italian after Orazio Fagone, Fabio Carta and Arianna Fontana to place a rainbow medal around his neck in each of the individual Olympic distances. Indeed, it should not be forgotten how, in 2021, Pietro was bronze in both the 500 and 1,000 meters.

Today’s exploits for the 23-year-old from Baselga di Piné did not stop there, however, as he also competed in the 500 meters.

In the shorter race, the volcanic Italian even managed to do better, grabbing a sensational gold medal.

His last lap was screaming, allowing him to climb from third to first position! In this way, the Italian men’s field won the first individual rainbow title of the 21st century. In fact, the last success dated back to 1999, when Fabio Carta won in the 1,500.