American speedskater Mia Manganello claimed bronze in the women’s mass start event on Saturday at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This marked her first individual Olympic medal and the United States’ inaugural podium finish in the mass start discipline for either gender.
Mia Manganello clinches bronze medal
Mia Manganello, the 36-year-old from Crestview, Florida, timed her push perfectly in the final lap of the 16-lap race, finishing with 20 points in a time of 8:35.39. Netherlands’ Marijke Groenewoud dominated for gold with 60 points in 8:34.70, while Canada’s Ivanie Blondin took silver with 40 points in 8:35.09. Groenewoud’s victory completed a Dutch sweep of the mass start events, following Jorrit Bergsma’s win in the men’s race.
For Manganello, this bronze capped a remarkable journey in her final Olympic appearance. She announced her retirement earlier, making the podium moment even more poignant.
After the race, she took a victory lap waving the US flag, celebrating the achievement with teammate Greta Myers, who finished 12th. The two shared a warm embrace on the ice.
A resilient path to podium glory
Mia Manganello’s road to Olympic success has been anything but straightforward. She failed to qualify for the US team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics trials in speed skating. Undeterred, she switched to professional cycling for six years before returning to the ice in 2016. Her persistence paid off with a bronze in the women’s team pursuit at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
In Beijing 2022, she narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish in the mass start. Building momentum, Manganello won her first ISU World Cup mass start race in 2025 and entered Milano Cortina as the world No. 1 in the discipline. This season’s success translated to history on Saturday, delivering the US women’s first speed skating medal at these Games after several near-misses in other events.
Boosting Team USA’s medal haul
Mia Manganello’s bronze elevated the United States to 31 total medals at the 2026 Olympics, surpassing Italy for second place on the overall standings. Norway leads with 40 medals. In speed skating specifically, the US has secured a strong showing, with this adding to medals from athletes like Jordan Stolz.
