Mia Manganello created history on the final day of speed skating action in Milan on Saturday, becoming the first American, male or female, to reach the Olympic podium in the mass start event. While Manganello secured bronze in the women’s race, the Netherlands dominated the competition by sweeping both the men’s and women’s titles.
Women’s Mass Start results
Gold: Marijke Groenewoud (Netherlands)
Silver: Ivanie Blondin (Canada)
Bronze: Mia Manganello (United States)
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What is Mass Start Speed Skating?
Mass start speed skating is a 16-lap race on a long track where 16 to 24 skaters compete together in a pack. The event includes intermediate sprint points before a final sprint to the finish, blending the endurance of long-track racing with the unpredictability and tactics often seen in short-track events. At the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the United States earned its first-ever women’s mass start medal through Manganello’s podium finish.
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Mia Manganello, at the age of 36, of Crestview, Florida, delivered a perfectly timed surge in the final lap of the 16-lap mass start, securing bronze with 20 points in 8:35.39. The Netherlands’ Marijke Groenewoud claimed gold dominantly, collecting 60 points in 8:34.70, while Canada’s Ivanie Blondin earned silver with 40 points in 8:35.09. Groenewoud’s triumph sealed a Dutch sweep of the mass start events after Jorrit Bergsma had earlier won the men’s race.
For Manganello, the bronze marked an emotional highlight in her final Olympic appearance, having previously announced that she would retire. The podium finish added special meaning to her farewell.
Following the race, she skated a celebratory lap draped in the US flag and shared the moment with teammate Greta Myers, who finished 12th. The pair embraced warmly on the ice in a fitting end to Manganello’s Olympic journey.
