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Pietro Sighel unleashed on critics ("Idiots") and Arianna Fontana ("Who knows her?")

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Between Pietro Sighel and Arianna Fontana there continues to be bad blood, and not even the gold medal they just won at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics has changed that. So there is also frost as well as the ice on which they starred together with Thomas Nadalini and Elisa Confortola in the mixed relay of the short track.

Interviewed by ‘Repubblica,’ when asked about the partner chasing the all-time record for Olympic medals for an Italian athlete, Sighel was careful not to give a diplomatic answer: “But who knows her, Arianna Fontana? ”. “She has been training abroad for eight years, she chose so. For sure, we are not a team with her, apart from the two and a half minutes on the track. The ones who are really good are our girls, who have been able to team up and grow even without her” added the Trentino.

“I meant no disrespect to anyone, only idiots can think it was a joke. My sport needs to get noticed and I want to bring it into the homes of Italians like Valentino Rossi did with motorcycles, he is my absolute idol” concluded the class of 1999 talking about how he crossed the finish line.

Aldo SeghedoniMilan Cortina, social on edge after Pietro Sighel’s jubilation. Photo

Social on tilt after Pietro Sighel's exultation
The champion decided to cross the finish line of the mixed short track relay in this way
Once certain of the gold medal, Sighel turned toward his rivals to look them in the face

As was easily predictable, Sighel's exultation sparked great controversy
Many users on social have criticized the champion by calling him unsportsmanlike and a blowhard
"I wanted to try to close in an epic way for the home crowd" pointed out Pietro Sighel

"We had the time to do it, I tried to control and then turn around to spruce up the audience a bit"

"I didn’t want to disrespect the opponents, absolutely: it was more to leave a mark on the home crowd" told Eurosport
Petro Sighel’s justifications did not appease the many fans who continued to insult him on social networks

As often happens, many of the insults come from users who do not have a real name as a username
Most often the accounts that post the harshest messages have fancy names and photos…
L'Italy, however, won the gold medal by finishing ahead of Canada, Belgium and China

Arianna once again demonstrated uncommon longevity and competitiveness, celebrating an achievement that brings her even closer to Edoardo Mangiarotti’s all-time record (13 Olympic medals in fencing between 1936 and 1960). In the six consecutive editions of the Games (Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018, Beijing 2022, and Milan Cortina 2026), the Italian skater has always medaled: before her, only Armin Zöggeler, world luge legend, had succeeded, standing on the podium from Lillehammer 1994 to Sochi 2014.

Arianna Fontana’s palmarès includes three Olympic gold medals (in addition to today’s, also individual golds in the 500 meters in Pyeongchang and Beijing), four silver medals (500 meters in 2014, 3000 meters relay in 2018, 1500 meters and 2000 meters relay in 2022) and five bronze medals (3000 meters relay in 2006, 500 meters in 2010, 1500 meters and 3000 meters relay in 2014, 1000 meters in 2018). A true mosaic of successes, which no other Italian female athlete had ever achieved before her.

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